Who Can You Trust?
by Isob3l
Summary: Ally's life is pretty great. She's engaged and happy. The day before her wedding, she witnesses something awful and has to be protected by a blonde haired stranger, who she's surprisingly comfortable with. I'm trying not to give too much away so give this story a shot. Auslly.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm gonna be honest, I just wanted to give this a shot. Might not even post it. *shrug***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally. If I did, I probably wouldn't need to write fanfictions about it.**

**Who Can You Trust?**

Chapter 1

"Make yourself at home."

Ally nodded numbly at the stranger and refrained from saying that her home was why she was in this mess.

The blonde stranger who'd saved her ushered her into his strange apartment and locked the door behind him.

He took a glance at Ally's wide eyes and panicked expression and shot her an apologetic look.

She let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding and tried to smile gratefully, but it was forced and he knew it.

The two looked at each other for a few moments, sizing each other up in silence. And honestly, the silence was a welcome relief to Ally. Her entire day had been filled with shouting and screaming and police sirens, so silence was just what she needed.

"Do you want to take a shower?" he asked, eyeing her hands nervously.

Ally cocked an eyebrow at the question and looked down at her hands, surprised to find them covered in blood. The sight of it left her slightly dizzy. She looked up to his warm brown eyes and nodded weakly.

"I'll find you a towel and maybe some clothes," he offered before disappearing into one of the only two rooms behind her.

She took the reprieve as an opportunity survey his apartment. It was dark and its walls were a dark brown color that didn't lighten it up. He had a couple windows to the side, but the blinds were drawn blocking out any potential light. Not that there would have been much. It was nearly midnight.

A simple white island separated the living room from the kitchen and both were rather shabby. The living room sported a faded leather couch with a matching armchair and small TV placed on top of a small mahogany end table, which matched the mahogany coffee table between the TV and the couch. The kitchen had an oven, a sink, and refrigerator. It wasn't too bad, but it wasn't impressive either.

She took note of the lack of family pictures or any personal affects really, aside from a simple acoustic guitar laid across the couch and a keyboard against one of the walls. There were a few dirty dishes in the sink, but otherwise it didn't look really lived in.

The stranger emerged from his bedroom presumably with a soft white towel and clothes bundled in his arms.

His eyes found hers instantly and Ally felt a bit of a jolt of electricity. She frowned in confusion, which he misread.

"The clothes will be a little big on you because you're a bit tinier than me, but they'll keep you warm," he explained, offering her a smile that could best be described as swoon worthy. If the situation had been different, she might have. She always was a bit nervous around guys to begin with, especially boys as attractive as this one. Although, she wasn't sure if she'd ever seen a boy as attractive as this. His blonde hair fell into place perfectly and his brown eyes were warm and inviting. For a police officer, he didn't look as serious as the ones she'd met earlier. In fact, he looked like he smiled often.

A bit tinier than her was an understatement. His 6' frame towered over her measly height of 5'2". And while he was decidedly long and lean, he was clearly muscular, while she was thin and weak.

She accepted the clothes with another forced smile, attempting to grab them with just her forearms so as not to stain his clothes.

Noticing her difficulty, he laughed and said, "Don't worry about it. I have more than my fair share of bloody t-shirts."

Her smile in response came easier than the last two and she murmured a quick thank you, before slipping past him. She slipped into the room across from what she assumed was his bedroom and shut the door, as she heard him mutter, "Well at least she spoke. That's a start."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The warm water was usually a relief to Ally. Her sister used to tease her about how long she took in the shower. The shower she took in the stranger's apartment had almost no effect on her, though. She knew that the water was hot, but she almost couldn't feel its heat. Instead, she felt empty. Numb.

She stepped out and changed quickly, staring at the steam coming off her body wistfully.

Taking a quick look in the mirror, Ally almost didn't recognize herself.

She looked the same of course. Her skin was always ghastly pale and the dark circles under her eyes were nothing new, since she'd been an insomniac since she was 16 and hadn't slept a full night in 9 years. Her caramel colored hair with streaks of blonde at the bottom was also typical. Her cheek was bruised, she had a cut across her forehead that had been stitched up, and her neck had large purple bruises around them, but that wasn't why she didn't know who was in the mirror. Nothing about her was physically different, except maybe the large white t-shirt and grey sweatpants.

The only difference was in her dark brown eyes. They were usually bright and cheerful, but they were empty. Devoid of feeling. They were the eyes of someone who had seen too much, not a young, 25-year-old girl who was supposed to get married tomorrow.

She left the safety of the stranger's bathroom with her blue sundress and brown boots in hand. Soundlessly, she padded into the living room to find him playing around with his guitar on the couch. He started to play a melody that was really quite lovely.

Before she could help herself, Ally asked, "Did you write that?"

He jumped at the sound of her voice and rolled of the couch, grabbing his gun in the process. He turned to face her on one knee, with the gun aimed at her chest.

She raised her hands as if to signal that she wasn't armed and muttered, "I'm sorry I asked."

When he realized it was her, he let out a breath and lowered his gun.

Laughing lightly, he placed his gun on the table and said, "Geez. Don't sneak up on someone in my line of work."

He stood and approached her timidly, as if she were a scared animal that was going to run.

"You are swimming in those clothes," he added, taking her in, "Oh well. We'll be able to get you clothes after we leave."

"Leave?" she asked, hating how scared she sounded.

He nodded slowly and her she noticed a bag by the door. So he'd packed while she was in shower.

"We'll have to stay here tonight and then I'll get you to a secure location tomorrow."

"For how long?"

He paused, choosing his words carefully before answering, "Well, it depends. First, we've got to catch your fiancé. Then, we'll need you to testify, so I think probably until then to be safe. But the trial won't be too long after we catch him because my boss is really pushing for this guy. And with your testimony, he'll go away for sure."

Ally gulped and asked, "And uhm who will be looking after me?"

"I think it'll be just me. Your fiancé is a very powerful man, so he could very well have eyes and ears everywhere. I've been told to take you somewhere safe and let no one know where until they have him."

"Just you?" Ally asked, worry evident in her voice.

He placed a hand to his heart dramatically and exclaimed, "You don't trust me? I assure you that I am the very best at what I do."

Ally smiled lightly, but she still wasn't convinced.

"I promise you," he paused, waiting for her to fill in her name.

"Ally," she obliged.

"I promise you, Ally, that I will protect you with my life and nothing will happen to you," he pledged.

She smiled at how genuine he seemed. She didn't doubt his words and her worries were momentarily put at ease.

"I believe you."

"My name is Austin," he introduced, offering her his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Austin," she answered, taking it and shaking it.

She tried to ignore the sparks she felt at the contact. His hand was rough and calloused against her soft, dainty ones and the handshake lingered.

A look of confusion crossed his face, but left as quickly as it had appeared.

He smiled and leaned a little bit closer to her. Her senses were overtaken by the pleasant musky smell he had as he whispered, "No it's not. But that's okay. If I were you, I wouldn't have wanted to meet me either."

He squeezed her hand lightly before pulling away, leaving Ally totally stunned by this strange boy.

Her mind struggling for something to say, she quickly blurted, "That melody you were playing."

He cocked an eyebrow at her and she continued, "Did you write it yourself?"

He smiled widely and walked back to the couch to grab his guitar. Sitting down on the couch he perched his guitar on his lap and called, "Come sit over here!"

Ally hesitated for a moment before joining him. She sat as far away from him as possible, but he instantly slid closer to her.

He played the melody again and asked, "Do you like music?"

She fought the urge to scoff at his question, trying to keep in mind that they'd just met, and answered, "It's my life."

His smile grew and he said, "Mine too. When I'm not saving lives or catching bad guys I'm working on my music."

She nodded understandingly and volunteered, "I work at a music label."

His eyes widened, so she explained, "W-well, I'm just an assistant, but i-in a few years m-maybe they'll hear my stuff. I want to w-work my way up."

He nodded understandingly and the tune slowed down and became softer. It was almost hypnotic.

Without really meaning to, she began to hum along with his tune and he smiled really widely.

"Why am I so comfortable around you?" she asked, her eyes drooping tiredly.

He laughed lightly, his chest rumbling with it. The sound only proved to make her more tired.

"I feel the same way," he whispered.

Ally let her eyes shut and felt herself leaning on Austin, but she was too tired to care.

Her last thoughts were of the stranger who didn't feel like a stranger.

**A/N: Well this is a bit of weird thing for me. This kinda just came out of nowhere. Not entirely sure where this is going. I have an idea though. Please review and let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Whoa… got some awesome reviews for the first chapter. It made me pumped to update again! I hope you guys like this. **

**Disclaimer: I totally own Austin and Ally guys. I'm rich and awesome and gorgeous and married to Chris Hemsworth and- *wakes up* oh… awesome dream. Yeah I don't own Austin and Ally.**

Chapter 2

Ally was walking down the aisle.

She knew that she shouldn't be, but for some reason, her legs could only propel themselves forward. She glanced around the church fearfully, taking in the smiling expectant faces. She felt her father squeeze her hand excitedly and saw Dallas standing at the end of the aisle, smiling at her cruelly.

She began to cry, tears rolling down her face and heart wrenching sobs echoing along with chords of 'Here Comes the Bride.' She leaned closer to her father and begged, "Please, Daddy. Please save me. Get me away from him. Please."

Her father's smile grew and he whispered, "You look beautiful, sweetie. You're going to be so happy."

Ally cried and screamed and begged her legs to stop moving, but no one seemed to notice or care.

Finally, she reached the altar and her hand was given to Dallas'. He tightened his grip on her as the priest asked her whether or not she would take him to be her husband.

"I do," she heard herself sob. She couldn't help herself. She couldn't stop what was happening.

"Good girl," Dallas whispered, his hand reaching for her neck.

"You may now kill the bride," she heard the priest say, followed by some cheering from the guests at her wedding.

"Dallas, please," she wheezed, writhing under his grasp. She felt the air leave her and her vision went blurry.

"You've served your purpose, now you can die," he hissed, his face showing nothing but cruelty.

"Somebody! Help me!" she screamed despite her lack of oxygen.

"No one can save you from me," Dallas threatened ominously.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ally woke up gasping and shooting upwards. She heard something clatter to the ground and felt a strong hand on her shoulder as she struggled to force the air down her lungs.

When she managed to calm her racing heart and her breathing returned to normal, she became aware of her surroundings. She was on Austin's couch and it was his arm that was around her. They'd dozed off last night while he'd been playing his guitar and she'd knocked it to the ground in her terror.

Instantly, Ally clamored to pick it up and hand it to him gracefully, while stuttering, "Oh m-my God. I-I'm so sorry. I didn't m-mean to. I j-just-"

Austin's grip around her shoulder tightened and he slowly pulled her back against the couch while removing the guitar from her hands and setting it aside. He eased her against his side and whispered, "Shhh… It's okay," soothingly.

It did the trick and she rested her head against his shoulder, slowly willing herself to be calm.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked.

She seriously considered it for moment. It might be nice to have someone she could talk to and since she was stuck with Austin for who knows how long he seemed like the perfect candidate. But she was unused to sharing her feelings. She rarely did when she was growing up and even when she did she was met with criticism for the weakness.

In the end, her breeding kicked in and she replied, "No. Thank you, but no."

He nodded, and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"Why are you so different from all of the other cops I've met?" she asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice soft and soothing.

"Most of the other cops I've met are rough and serious and impersonal, but you actually seem like you care and you're nice," she replied, her voice losing volume near the end.

He let out a little laugh and said in a gruff voice, "Well, I'm younger so I haven't been hardened by years of experience," Ally let out a little laugh, "and also, I do care. You're my age and you seem like a nice girl. This shouldn't have happened to you. You don't deserve this," she looked up at him to catch his eye. The maintained the eye contact for a few moments before he cleared his throat and added, "Nobody deserves this actually. And I feel no need to make your personal hell worse."

Ally nodded understandingly and gave Austin a grateful smile. A smile that she didn't have to force at all.

He smiled back and they stayed like that for a few moments, Ally curled up at his side and smiling at each other. He shifted lightly and loosened his grip her, his eyes glancing at a clock she hadn't noticed earlier.

She followed his gaze to the clock and read that it was only 7 in the morning. She'd slept for nearly 7 hours. That was impressive.

Without meaning to, she whispered, "Wow."

He turned back to her and cocked an eyebrow.

"Uhh it's so early," she explained lamely. He didn't look convinced, but said nothing of it.

"We should probably head out soon. We have a long drive ahead of us," he said, looking at her almost regretfully.

She was reminded of why she was really here and it wasn't to cozy up to some stranger. She pulled away and stood quickly at the realization. Stretching lightly, she stood on her tippy-toes and yawned.

She turned back to face him and cocked an eyebrow at him. Gesturing to her oversized clothing.

"Oh shit. You look homeless in my clothes, right," he muttered, getting to his feet.

He continued, "Uhmm I have an unopened toothbrush in my bathroom that you can use while I look for something more your size."

He rushed into his room, leaving Ally standing alone in his living room. She sighed quietly and walked into his bathroom. Scanning the room, she found an unopened tooth brush and brushed her teeth. When she was done, she looked at herself in the mirror, taking in the bruises on her face and neck. It wasn't actually that bad. Her cheek was only lightly bruised and the cut on her forehead looked natural enough. The bruises on her neck stood out starkly against her porcelain skin and that would garner her unwanted attention.

She bit her lip nervously, bringing a finger tentatively to her throat. It stung, but not nearly as badly as she thought it would have. A tear slipped out of her eye and slid down her cheek. She should be beautiful right now in a white gown with her curly hair pulled back into a perfect bun. She indulged herself for a moment and pulled her wild hair back into a semi-nice bun, which left a few tendrils over her face.

"Do you want a rubber band or something to hold it up?" Austin asked from the door.

Ally jumped and dropped her hair. She turned to find Austin leaning on the doorjamb with clothes in his hand.

"Sorry for scaring you," he apologized, but he didn't look sorry. He grinned at her widely and looked amused by her reaction.

She frowned at him and accepted the clothes, irritated at the interruption.

"Do you have a scarf or something that will cover this up?" she asked, gesturing to her neck.

He nodded and answered, "Yeah, I'll get that for you. Do you want an ice pack for the cheek?"

She barely felt the sting of her cheek, but it certainly looked like it hurt. She guessed being numb wasn't the worst thing that could happen to her.

She shook her head and offered him another smile.

"You're crying," he stated. It wasn't a question and he didn't ask for an explanation.

She shrugged at him and smiled tearfully. Almost as if it were unintentional, Austin reached a hand out and wiped the tear away with his thumb. They both looked surprised at his action and he retracted his hand instantly.

He cleared his throat and pulled a rubber band off of his wrist, handing it to her before turning to leave.

"Thank you," she whispered almost to herself as he shut the door behind him.

The action cheered her up a little bit, or at least enough that she was done crying. She stripped off his oversized clothes and pulled on more of his oversized clothes. This time she was given a pair of jeans that were presumably skinny on him. They were baggy on her and she was grateful that he gave her a belt with it. When it was secured on her hips tentatively, she cuffed the bottom up to her knees and pulled on her brown leather boots.

He also gave her a t-shirt for the top with one of her favorite bands on it. She smiled at the Panic! At the Disco label and pulled it on. It was huge, so she knotted it at the bottom so that it was tighter and showed a bit of her stomach. It wasn't a lot of her stomach, but it still wasn't something she was comfortable with.

"Oh well," she muttered sadly, pulling her hair into the bun she'd imitated earlier.

Taking one last look in the mirror, she decided that she looked and fine and left the safety of the bathroom.

She walked out to find Austin tucking a gun into the waistband of his jeans and then covering it up with his blue t-shirt. It was another reminder of the situation she'd gotten herself into.

She walked to the couch and picked up the gray, knit scarf on the edge of it.

He looked up at her and nodded, his eyes flicking to the scarf. Wordlessly, she smiled and looped it around her neck.

"I'm going to give you something and I don't want you to freak out about it," he warned, eyeing her cautiously as he reached for his bag on the coffee table.

"Okay," she replied, becoming nervous.

"Don't be nervous. It's not that bad," he comforted, pulling something small out of his bag.

"A taser?" she exclaimed, going into full blown panic mode.

"Don't freak out. It's not a big deal. I just thought it might make you feel safer to know that you're not helpless," he explained, trying and failing not to laugh.

She let out a deep breath, her pulse slowing and heart beat steadying. He actually had a good point and she definitely needed some control.

She nodded and accepted it from him.

"How do I work it?"

"You press this button," he explained, pointing to a button on the side. (**have no idea how to work a taser so bear with me)**

She looked up at him to offer him a grateful smile, but was shocked at how close he'd gotten. He seemed to notice it too because he froze and stared at her before taking a step back.

Letting out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, she smiled at him gratefully.

He returned the smile, a bit uneasily albeit, and picked up his bag.

Extending his hand to her, he offered, "I'll carry it for you until we get there, but then I want it with you at all times."

He took it from her and stuffed it in his bag. She tried to ignore the familiar jolt of electricity she'd come to associate with his touch. He picked up his guitar and gestured to the door.

"I have a car out front. Let's go."

She followed Austin out of the strange apartment she'd become accustomed to, not sure if she was ready for whatever came next.

**A/N: Not sure about this chapter. It's a little slow and I'm worried it'll bore you guys, but I hope you like it. It'll pick up soon enough. I thought I'd maybe spend a little time playing up her fear and how numb she feels and develop their relationship a bit before having anything super exciting happen. I hope that's good for you. I will also be revealing exactly what happened soon enough, but I'm gonna be giving bits and pieces until then to keep you guys interested. Please tell me what you think of my gameplan and the story. I love you guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: A little longer wait on this, but I wanted it to be a great chapter. I was recently called a Rossome writer and I really don't want to disappoint you guys. I got some amazing feedback and I feel much more confident with the direction this story is headed so thank you all my lovelies! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally. I barely own the clothes on my back. **

Chapter 3

Austin and Ally slipped out of the apartment building, where Austin had a car waiting.

He didn't mention that the car was bright yellow.

And no, not a bright yellow sports car. A bright yellow minivan.

"What the hell," she muttered under her breath.

He looked down at her and smiled widely, clearly proud of his bright yellow piece of crap.

"Isn't it awesome?" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up and his tone reminiscent of a little kid.

She smiled weakly and replied, "It certainly is very… err… yellow."

His smile somehow widened as he proclaimed proudly, "I know. It's my favorite color."

"Well that's nice, but shouldn't we be trying to blend in?" she asked, unsure.

He scoffed and answered, "I know that. I'm not a complete idiot. I paid the neighbor to drive that around for a while. We're going to be taking a bus to a place where a less obvious car is waiting for us. I just wanted to see your expression."

"You're sure I'll be safe around all of those people?" she asked tentatively.

He looped her arm through the crook of his and started walking before answering, "He's not going to make a move on you when you're surrounded by people. Just stay close to me, okay?"

Ally nodded and tightened her grip on his arm. She followed his lead and tried her best to appear calm, but she was terrified and everyone knew it. Or at least it felt like they did. She couldn't stop herself from scanning the face of every passerby out of fear.

Austin let out a sigh and pulled her to the edge of the sidewalk in-between two buildings. He turned her to face him and gripped her shoulders strongly.

"Ally, I need you to come down. You're fine. You're safe," he whispered urgently, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"I don't feel safe," she muttered, sounding like a child.

Austin put his finger under Ally's chin and tilted it upwards to catch her eye. She was surprised at the seriousness she saw there.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Ally," he whispered. The air around her seemed to be buzzing as he looked at her. _Really_ looked at her. The tension between them was thick.

Ally gulped and nodded.

"Okay," she replied.

He smiled widely at her and they resumed their places on the sidewalk, this time with Ally trying her best to remain calm. It helped that Austin kept her close and ran his thumb soothingly across her hand. She actually managed to feel a little safe.

They made it to the bus without event and the bus ride was likewise uneventful. They sat close to each other and Austin kept his arm around her the entire time. It was too noisy to talk, so they sat in silence. Austin seemed distracted by their surroundings so Ally decided to use the opportunity to study her very attractive protector.

She watched his gaze flick lazily around their surroundings and dismissed it as boredom. But on closer look, it became clear that it wasn't lazy. He was studiously observing their surroundings, but in a way that didn't appear suspicious. In fact, nearly everything about him seemed calculated to some extent. He sat by the window with one hand draped across her shoulder and the other resting on his leg. It would be easy for him to reach his gun and pull her out of the way if the need should arise. And while they were in no way a couple, he occasionally did things that showed affection like they were, which was probably to help them blend in.

_Maybe he's better at this than I thought_, Ally mused.

This boy was foreign to her in more ways than just his profession. She'd dated before and had a handful of male friends, but none were like him. He was open and confident and funny. He put her at ease instantly even when every bone in her body was begging her to lose her mind. He was so different from…

_Dallas_.

Just the thought of him made her want to vomit. How could she not have seen? How could she have been so stupid? How could she have loved him?

Thinking back on it, it seemed more obvious.

He had always been cold and calculating. And manipulating. He clearly didn't love Ally. He didn't love anyone. She was just a toy for him to play with. And she let him.

Ally shuddered and gained Austin's attention instantly. She felt his careful eyes on her and his arm tightened around her. He sent her a look that clearly asked if she was okay.

She felt tears prick the corner of her eyes and forced herself to look away from his warm brown eyes. Instead of answering, she leaned her head against his shoulder and forced herself to breath. She felt the weight of his head on top of hers as he shifted to become closer to her.

"We're almost there," he whispered, almost imperceptibly, before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She would've read more into it if she hadn't known that he was covering for her odd behavior.

Still, it felt nice to lean on someone. She hadn't done that in a long time, so she welcomed the comfort. They remained liked that for the rest of the long bus ride.

After what felt like forever, the bus rolled to a stop and the driver called out, "Last stop. Time to get off, love birds."

Austin grabbed his bags and stood to leave with Ally close behind. When they stepped off, she looped her arm round the crook of his and followed his lead.

They'd been dropped off at a street she was unfamiliar with. It was a crowded area, so Ally pressed herself close to Austin as he weaved through the people with purpose. Finally, he turned into a nearly empty parking lot and approached a crappy looking, red car.

She pursed her lips at the hideous car and resisted the urge to comment.

She didn't need to though because after one look at her face, Austin defended, "Hey! I don't make a lot of money!"

Ally laughed and watched as Austin walked to the passenger's side and opened the door for her. She obliged and slid into the leather seat. After shoving his bag and guitar case into the trunk, he took his position in the driver's seat and revved the engine.

"Where are we going?" Ally asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"Tampa," he replied nonchalantly.

**A/N: I'm really nervous that this is a little dull, but I swear that this is gonna pick up steam. Sorry. It's going to get better I think. Reviews would be awesome please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I have some seriously awesome readers. I love you guys! I hope this doesn't disappoint anyone. Suspend disbelief too, because I don't know if what I'm gonna describe is even possible.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Austin and Ally because then I ogle Ross Lynch, but alas. I also know nothing about the Witness Protection Program or if something I'm about to describe is even possible. Also don't own Nightwing or anything in the DC universe.**

Chapter 4

"Tampa? Like in Florida?" she asked, eyeing Austin suspiciously.

He had a funny look on his face as he replied, "Uhm yeah?"

"Oh," she muttered, "That's not far at all. I expected to be farther away from him."

He nodded sympathetically, keeping his eyes on the road as he explained, "I have a handful of places that no one knows about for situations like this and one of them is in Tampa. Besides, getting on a plane without anyone finding out is nearly impossible and I didn't figure you'd want to go on a cross country road trip."

"So you handle 'situations like this' a lot?" she asked, putting air quotes around the words 'situations like this'.

He looked slightly uncomfortable at her question, but covered it up with a cocky smirk. Laughing lightly, he answered, "I am the best in biz."

"That doesn't sound like a typical police officer job."

"It's not. I'm technically not. I'm a member of the Witness Protection Program technically, but I've been stationed with the police for an experimental program to get witnesses in a safe environment with as little people involved as possible. It's typically done for people who would testify against powerful men who can purchase people's loyalty. It's been successful this far."

"But you stop the bad guys with the police?" she asked, getting confused.

"Well, yeah. I'm not really supposed to, but if I'm being honest, cases like yours are pretty rare. So, most of the time I'm sitting around and waiting and I'm far too qualified for that."

"Too qualified?"

"This is going to make me sound conceited, but I'm kind of awesome in certain respects. I'm a black belt in karate and I've mastered kind of a lot of other weird fighting styles and I'm essentially trained as a spy. I worked in the FBI and CIA before settling on the Witness Protection Program."

Ally felt her jaw literally drop.

"Holy guacamole! You're only like 25 though! What motivated you to do all of this?" she exclaimed.

He laughed awkwardly and answered, "Well, if I'm being completely honest, I'm a closet nerd. So when I was growing up, I just wanted to become Nightwing. So, I made my parents sign me up for classes and stuff. I was always really smart and good with computers so that helped. So, I got a job at the CIA when I was 18 and then switched over to the FBI at age 20 and then finally joined the WPP at age 22. This is my first year playing cop."

"So, you just go with the police to get criminals and stuff?"

He nodded and seemed amused her surprise. This was clearly a reaction he got a lot and he didn't mind it.

"I'm sometimes a real asset. I learned kind of a lot about profiling when I was with the FBI so I'm good in interrogations. And I'm smart enough to get by. In hand to hand combat, I'm basically unstoppable."

Ally forced herself to shut her mouth. All of this information actually made her feel safer, but it made Austin that much more intimidating. Typically she got tongue tied around all boys, especially ones as handsome as he was, but she'd managed to feel really comfortable around him. With the knowledge that he was essentially a superhero, she could feel her shyness kick in.

He chanced a glance at her and seemed to pick up on her feelings.

"I've like intimidated you, haven't I? Do you want me to tell you something embarrassing about myself?" he asked.

Ally nodded, still having trouble speaking.

"My middle name is Monica."

He paused, waiting for the laughter. She didn't disappoint. Without hesitation, Ally started to crack up at his revelation.

He laughed a little with her and exclaimed, "Okay, laugh it up. Enjoy it."

When her laughter subsided, she wiped the tears from her eyes and asked, "Why would you tell me that?"

He shrugged and gave her a sideways glance before answering, "Well, I can tell that you're kind of shy, but I'm really comfortable around you for some reason and I didn't want that to go away."

Ally felt her face heat up and resisted the urge to chew on her hair. He was handsome and sweet? Well, that just wasn't fair.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. She discretely glanced at him while he focused on the road.

"So, tell me something about you. I know where you work and stuff, but otherwise nothing really," he said, breaking the silence.

She considered the request briefly before answering, "Well, I'm kind of a dork too. I'm not big into comic books though. I do love to read. My sister used to joke that I'd read anything I could get my hands on and it was true. When my parents wanted to punish me, they'd take the books away."

He laughed at her statement and she offered him a wide grin.

"What's your favorite book?" he asked.

"That's a tough one. Uhm… well I love _To Kill a Mockingbird_ and _World War Z_ is amazing. I was always a _Harry Potter _fiend when I was younger. I don't really have like one favorite though. It varies with my mood, so right now it's _World War Z_."

"I loved Harry Potter! I wasn't a big reader when I was little, aside from comics and well, textbooks, but I loved those books!" he exclaimed, his eyes shining with childlike excitement.

She smiled and asked, "Well, when you weren't studying, reading comic books, or mastering various forms of martial arts, what did you do, like, for fun?"

He smiled widely and replied, "Music. I love to sing and dance and I can legit play any instrument. I can even play a trumpet, out of another trumpet!"

Ally laughed loudly and asked, "Seriously?"

He nodded widely, his face breaking into a full-blown smile.

"Yes. How about you? What'd you do for fun other than read?" he asked.

"Pretty much the same. I play the piano and I love to sing and write songs. I never really sing in front of other people though because I have a teensy weensy case of stage fright."

"That's a shame. I bet you have a pretty voice."

She cocked and eyebrow at him and asked, "Why do you think that?"

He shook his head and replied, "I'm not sure. You have a really pleasant speaking voice I guess, that kinda just sounds like it would translate well into singing. I also just get a good feeling about it," he paused before adding, "I'd love to hear one of your songs one day."

Ally smiled and stated, "I'd like that."

He smiled too and they made eye contact quickly before directing his gaze back to the road. That moment of eye contact gave her butterflies. She looked down at her lap and they fell into another comfortable silence. This time he broke it with music though. He turned on the radio and changed it to a station that pleased him. He glanced at Ally and she nodded her approval at his choice and they zoned into the music.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ally had made a mistake.

She shouldn't have been there. She should have been at her bachelorette party with her friends and her sister, not hiding in her closet praying that her fiancée wouldn't see her.

Through the crack in the door, Ally watched Dallas hovering over the man bleeding out on the floor in their bedroom. She absentmindedly acknowledged the idea that maybe that was why he refused to carpet the majority of the house.

The man whimpered and sick smile spread across Dallas' face. It was so different from the Dallas she was accustomed to. That Dallas was charming and suave and… not sick.

Ally struggled to keep her breathing quiet and prayed that he wouldn't hear her heart beating out of her chest. She was too terrified to cry or really even be surprised. She didn't dare let herself think of anything other than surviving.

Suddenly, Dallas' phone rang. An almost irritated look crossed his face as he pulled it out of his pocket.

His cold eyes found the man again and he said, "I'm going to be right back. Try not to die until I get back. I want to see it."

Ally watched as Dallas left the room and slammed the door behind him. Without stopping to think about it, Ally stepped out from the closet and pulled out her own cell phone. She dialed 911 as she crouched next to the man.

An operator asked her what her problem was and Ally whispered, "My fiancée stabbed some man and he's dying. He doesn't k-know I'm here. Please help."

She gave the operator her address and shut off her phone to prevent them from calling her back. With shaking hands she attempted to put pressure on the man's wound.

"H-help me," he sputtered, his eyes showing his terror.

She felt tears prick the corner of her eyes as she took him in. He seemed to be only a little older than she was and she noticed a wedding band around his finger.

"I-I'm so sorry," she whispered as her tears fell to his face.

He knew he was going to die. So did she, but she kept the pressure, hoping against hope that she could stall the death until the police came.

Slowly, as if the effort was painful, the man brought his hand to Ally's cheek, resting it there. She leaned into his touch and wondered who was comforting who.

They heard his footsteps approach at the same time. The man's eyes widened as he whispered, "H-hide."

Ally nodded and hurried back to the closet, shutting it with only a crack open.

"I can't talk about this anymore. I've got to go," Dallas' voice concluded as he hung up the phone. The door creaked open slowly and Dallas reentered the room.

He looked down at the bleeding man, the cruel smile returning to his face. He stepped around him deliberately, his eyes never leaving his victim. He stopped by the window and glanced out of it casually, as if it's second nature.

When he looks away, he freezes instantly. His eyes widen angrily and he does a double take.

Instantly, Ally knows that he's seen her car in the driveway.

She began shaking even harder as she watches his smile widen. His eyes are evil.

"Where is my darling Ally-cat hiding?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ally jolted forward in her seat only to feel the seatbelt restrain her.

Her breathing was shallow and she was in a cold sweat. Austin looked at her in panic, swerving slightly on the road, before turning to face forward again.

"Are you ok?" he exclaimed, his voice dripping in concern.

"Y-yeah," she stammered, struggling to get a hold of her breathing.

He watched her from the corner of his eye nervously as she took deep breaths.

When her pulse slowed and her heartbeat calmed, Ally asked, "Austin, can I ask you for a favor?"

He furrowed his eyebrows for a moment before replying, "Anything. What is it?"

"When we get to wherever you're taking me, will you teach me how to fight?"

**A/N: For anyone who doesn't know, Nightwing is Dick Grayson aka the original Robin from like Batman comics. He is boss. I know I kind of gave Austin some new characteristics in this chapter, but I hope I kept him in character despite that. Please review for like questions or complaints or ideas. I am open to anything. Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I love you guys. I really do. You are all so sweet and amazing and thank you! I was having a horrible day today and I read your reviews and they made me feel so much better! Thank you! **

**P.S. Let's pretend that roughly 5 hours have passed in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned in this chapter.**

Chapter 5

He didn't question her motives or give her a funny look. Without hesitation, Austin replied, "Of course."

Ally let out a breath in relief. She hadn't known what to expect and was glad that he'd agreed so readily.

"Thank you," she murmured, feeling less scared already.

"But if I'm going to teach you how to defend yourself, then I want you to take it seriously," he warned seriously.

She nodded and agreed, "Oh trust me. I will."

He smiled lightly and added, "Also, I need you to promise that you won't use what I've taught you to like rob banks or kill people or take little kids' lunch money."

He was joking, so she fought the urge to laugh and played along, "No promises."

His smile widened, but he didn't reply. So Ally asked, "Should I base myself off of a comic book character too? Like you with Nightwing?"

He pondered her question and replied, "You could be Rose Wilson aka Ravager. She kicks serious ass and Dick Grayson trains her. She also happens to find Nightwing irresistible. So she's basically you."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she rolled her eyes. This guy was cocky.

"Whoa she is just like me. Except for that finding Nightwing irresistible thing, we're basically twins," she teased.

He lifted a hand from the wheel and placed it over his heart, feigning hurt.

"You wound me," he cried.

Ally laughed at his dramatics and rolled her eyes yet again.

The silence that followed seemed less comfortable than the ones before. Ally listened to the soft music that played across the radio and couldn't help but think that he wanted to say something.

Without thinking, she murmured, "You can say it. I know you want to."

His eyebrows, which previously had been furrowed in concentration, shot up in surprise. And he wasn't the only one. They were both surprised at the ease with which she read him.

"Uhh it's nothing," he stammered, still looking surprised.

She surprised herself again when she insisted, "You can say it, Austin. Please, just say it."

He hesitated, for a moment before asking, "Are your nightmares about," he paused, "him?"

Ally chewed on her lip nervously. She somehow knew it had to do with her nightmares. Slowly, she nodded.

He grew more confident when she responded and asked, "Did you ever have any idea about him being a murderer?"

That was question she'd need to get used to. She'd already been asked that question when she'd been brought to the station and she had no doubt that when she returned home it'd be the topic of many conversations.

Mistaking her hesitance for reluctance, Austin exclaimed, "You don't need to answer that!"

She shook her head and replied, "No. It's uhh… it's okay. Honestly, no. I didn't have any idea. I look back on it and realize that there were signs like he insisted on living in a house super faraway from any other people and he didn't want to carpet our bedroom and sometimes he would get really a-angry at m-me when I stayed home. He'd i-insist that I'd leave," she took a deep breath to calm her shaky voice and continued, "But hindsight is 20/20, y'know? I just thought he liked his quiet time."

Austin nodded, sympathy crossing his eyes. There was more silence and Ally thought that maybe he was done, but after a few moments, he quietly said, "You're really brave. Not many people would have tried to save that man like you did."

Ally frowned. She wasn't brave. She'd never been brave. She wasn't even sure what brave was. And she told him as much.

"I'm not brave."

He gave her a funny look and replied, "Sure you are. Ally, I read over what happened before we got there at least a dozen times because I was so impressed. When Dallas left the room, you could've called the police and left. You could've climbed out the window and left. But you called the police and tried to comfort the man and to stem the bleeding. That is bravery at its finest."

Ally blushed and looked down at her lap shyly. She still wasn't sure if it was bravery. She hadn't really thought about it beforehand. It just seemed like the natural thing to do.

She muttered, "Thank you."

He nodded at her before returning his entire focus to the road. She glanced out the window to see that they were in a town.

"Are we close?" She asked, sensing that she knew the answer.

He nodded absentmindedly and scanned the road. She could tell why he needed to considering how bright it was.

He turned a corner and she could see the beach. She hoped they weren't staying too close to it because she hated the beach. She was one of a kind like that.

He pulled up to the side of a small beach house and put the car in park.

Turning off the engine, Austin exclaimed, "We're here!"

Ally followed Austin into the house tentatively, staying close behind him as if she had something to fear.

It was a nice place. The walls were white like the carpet and it was decorated like a beach house typically was. Vague pictures of birds and the sea; seashells littered around the area; and a clean look. It was only one story and Ally saw only 3 rooms, she guessed to medium sized bedrooms and a bathroom. The kitchen was separated from the living room with by spotless white counters and it had the typical all-white kitchen appliances. The living room consisted of a white sofa with a clean glass table in front of it and a small white armchair on the side. A small TV was on the mantle of the fireplace facing the chair. All in all it looked comfy, if not exactly lived in.

Austin dropped his bags sloppily on the ground and stretched his tired muscles. Ally forced herself to look away from the handsome stranger, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"You can pick the room and something from my suitcase to sleep in tonight. Tomorrow we'll get you clothes and some food. For now, I'm gonna see if there's something in the fridge I can feed you," Austin announced, smiling at Ally widely before heading over to the kitchen.

Ally glanced at Austin's duffel bag warily before opening it and peering inside.

As if sensing her hesitation, Austin called, "Don't worry about my underwear or anything like that. It's all in one of the zipper pockets. You should be good."

Ally let out a breath of relief and explored his bag more openly. Not much of what was in there looked comfortable enough to sleep in aside from the soft t-shirts. She pulled out a pair of his silk basketball shorts and a yellow t-shirt. They would be monstrous on her, but they'd have to do.

He peered at her from his perch against the refrigerator door and she held up his clothes as if to ask for permission. He grinned widely at her and stated, "Yellow's my favorite color. I bet you look good in yellow."

Ally's face became warm and she looked at her feet to hide her blush. He only chuckled lightly and returned his attention back to the fridge.

She scurried to the closest room and shut the door behind her. It was a nice room. The walls were a light shade of blue and it was normally furnished. Small single bed in the corner, white dresser with an alarm clock on it that read 12:50. The real selling point on the room though was the medium sized window that offered a beautiful view of the beach. It had a nicely sized ledge that gave her excellent sitting abilities so she'd be able to sit there and write. Ally smiled absentmindedly and plopped down on the soft bed. She placed Austin's clothes on the bed and went to join him.

"So how does tomato soup and microwaved popcorn sound?" Austin called from the kitchen.

Ally followed the sound of his voice to find the popcorn already in a bowl and the soup warming on the stove.

At the sight of Ally's face, Austin laughed and added, "I'll get us pizza for dinner."

Ally smiled and walked past him to scan the fridge herself. Without warning, she let out a squeal. Austin jumped and went into spy mode instantly.

"What's wrong?" he exclaimed.

She pulled back from the fridge to reveal a jar of pickles in her hand and squealed again even more excitedly. Austin wrinkled his nose at her and frowned.

"It's just pickles," he stated lamely, not understanding her excitement.

She gasped and smacked his arm, exclaiming, "_Just_ pickles? Pickles are amazing!"

He rolled his eyes and pulled the soup off the stove and poured it into two bowls. Effortlessly, he placed one in the crook of his arm and grabbed the popcorn bowl with his free hand. He led her to the couch and set their feast on the glass table easily before plopping down on the seat, feigning exhaustion.

Ally laughed and sat next to him, cradling her jar of pickles like they were her lifeline.

"So, your favorite food is pickles?" he asked, eyeing her oddly as she munched on them.

"Yes. Why do you sound so surprised?" she replied.

"Because it's surprising. You're a mystery to me Ally Dawson," he answered, watching her with a goofy look on his face.

Without thinking, she said, "I don't have to be."

Austin smiled at her widely and maintained eye contact with her until she looked away shyly.

She meant it though. Something about this stranger made her not want him to be a stranger.

**A/N: Lame ending. I know. I'm sorry. I hope this is good. I love you guys. Please give feedback. Even if it's not positive, I want to hear it so that I can make this story better for you guys. Thanks. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/n: You guys are way too kind to me. Thank you so much! You are amazing and if I'm being honest I probably wouldn't update as frequently as I do without all of the encouragement and I will most definitely any ideas into consideration and try to incorporate them into the story (as long as they don't interfere with my own personal plan for the story)! Thank you guys again!**

**Disclaimer: Do I have to do these every chapter? Will I get sued if I don't? Well, I don't own anything mentioned in this chapter. I wish I did, but alas. Enjoy.**

**P.S. Are the nightmares getting to be too much? Should I try to show Ally's terror in a different way? Leave me a comment please.**

Chapter 6

"P-please," the man gasped, his voice oozing nothing but the pain he must have been feeling.

Ally found herself leaning over him, with her hands pressed to his wound, much like before. Except, this time she wasn't concerned about Dallas walking in on them. She felt quite certain that she was safe.

Although it comforted her, it did little to comfort the dying man who looked at her with nothing but pure, unadulterated fear.

He reached his hand up to her slowly, painfully, and placed it on her cheek softly. Ally leaned into his touch like last time, but found very little comfort there.

The man looked into her eyes and a tear slid down his face as he whispered, "P-please don't k-kill me."

Ally's eyes widened in horror and she pulled her hands away instantly. She looked down at them and found that she was clutching a bloody dagger in them.

She gasped and backed away from the man desperately, the dagger clanging to the ground noisily.

Without warning, Dallas stepped out of the shadow with a sick smile on his face and said, "You killed him, Ally. You're as much of a murderer as I am, darling."

Aghast, Ally looked to her bloody hands once more and then back at Dallas before crying, "What have I done?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ally was awoken to the hard contact of her body hitting the floor.

Wildly, she scanned her surroundings, trying desperately to remember where she was. Her breaths came out in short, hollow bursts as she struggled to force oxygen into her lungs.

After a few moments of trying and failing to calm herself down, Ally remembered her situation. She must have fallen out of the bed while twisting because of her nightmare. Her body ached at the realization and she slowly pushed herself into the sitting position. Still breathing heavily and scared, Ally brought her knees to her chest and placed her head between them. She heard her door open and close, but didn't dare move from her position until she was calm.

When she managed to maintain steady breathing and her heart beat slowed, she slowly pulled her head back to lean against the wall. She wasn't surprised or alarmed when she found Austin sitting on the floor across from her, eyeing her cautiously. She'd clearly woken him up from the appearance of his disheveled hair and tired eyes.

She focused in on his eyes, still not fully recovered from the nightmare, and maintained the eye contact for a while. His caution turned to concern as he returned her steady gaze.

The eye contact was surprisingly calming. Typically, the fact that he was shirtless and in just sweatpants would have made her embarrassed and she barely even noticed that she was in nothing but his t-shirt and shorts.

She wasn't sure how long they sat like that, just looking at each other, and she was sure that he'd have to say something or leave eventually. But he remained there, as if he could sense that his presence made her feel safe. He stayed there, like he could tell that she needed him to, until slowly she drifted back to sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He woke her up the next morning early, already showered and dressed.

He explained to her that they'd have to do their shopping early so that they could avoid the natives until he'd fully prepped her on all of the rules of their stay.

So, at 5:30 in the morning, Ally was fully showered and dressed in the sundress she'd come to him in and ready to prepare for their long stay.

Neither one of them mentioned the night before, and for that she was grateful. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to explain her nightmare to him and she was positive she wouldn't be able to explain why or how much she needed him. So, she was relieved that he didn't press her about it and hoped that she could push it out of her mind while they shopped.

But that proved easier said than done.

The memory of the man dying underneath her and the feeling of the cold, sharp blade in her hand were things that scared her. It hadn't been real. She knew, rationally, that his murder hadn't been her fault, but clearly, her subconscious was a little harder to convince.

The idea of being out in the open still unnerved her. She felt safe with Austin, but she still couldn't shake the fear of being found by _him_.

The ride into town was silent, mostly on her behalf. He'd seemed to sense that she was still upset over last night and tried not to push her, another thing she was grateful for.

In town wasn't much better. Ally followed behind silently as Austin bought food and supplies that they'd need and didn't say much even when they'd purchased her some clothes. Her mind was still stuck on her nightmares.

When they returned back to the beach house and Ally still wasn't talking, Austin suggested, "How about we start some of your training? It might make you feel better."

She'd been about to turn him down to sulk in her room, but one look at the concern in his eyes had her nodding along with his suggestion.

He smiled widely and began moving furniture out of the way in the living room so that they'd have room.

"Let's start with some defense."

**A/N: This was maybe borderline filler and for that I apologize. I'll start the training next chapter. Hope this is good for you guys. If you have any suggestions or ideas please comment! I love reviews! Thanks guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you again to my awesome reviewers! Thanks also to people who gave me awesome feedback on things that I can do to improve the story. I hope that it keeps improving and that you guys aren't ever disappointed. So, without further ado, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally**

Chapter 7

Austin didn't mince words. He got right down to business instantly.

"You're not strong enough to block attacks, so you're greatest defense will have to be your speed. It takes twice as much energy to swing and miss than to land a hit, so if you can avoid attacks for long enough, you'll wear your attacker down," Austin advised, his demeanor serious.

"Should I go change into fighting clothes?" she asked, unsure of herself.

He shook his head and replied, "Your attacker won't give you that luxury and neither will I."

Ally nodded, slightly surprised at how serious he was being. He'd told her that he'd be taking it seriously, but for some reason she'd had a tough time believing him. He always exuded ease and calmness, so serious Austin was a change.

She nodded and asked, "So how do I become faster than my attacker? My reaction time is pretty sucky."

"Well, it is now, but we'll work on that," he answered, his face breaking into a grim smile. Even his smiles were serious.

"What you've got to do," Austin continued, "Is trust your instincts and pay attention. I think that you have pretty good instincts based on your choices when you found out about Dallas, but you're timid. When you're being attacked and at a disadvantage, which you probably will be," he smirked at her and held his hand above her head to mock her height. She smacked his hand and rolled her eyes. He laughed and continued, "You won't have time to second-guess your decisions, because you don't want this guy to get you. If this guy gets you, you're probably screwed."

Ally frowned at his warning and wanted to argue that she could handle herself, but she knew that he was right. She couldn't handle herself.

Austin gave Ally a hesitant look, silently asking for permission to begin. She took a deep breath before nodding bravely.

"Don't let me touch you, okay?"

Ally nodded at him and was surprised when he reached out and grabbed her almost instantly, with almost no difficulty.

He smiled at her lightly, before removing his hands from her arms.

"Try again. This time pay attention," he advised.

He reached out again to grab her and she quickly stepped back, trying to get out of his reach. She didn't have time to feel satisfied with herself and instantly felt him latch onto her wrist and pull her to his chest. She let out a startled gasp and looked up at Austin's face in surprised. She was surprised at first at his speed, but the reason quickly changed to how close they were.

His face showed slight shock too as he looked down at her. His eyes flicked from her eyes to her lips quickly. She thought that he might kiss her for a moment and tried to quell the disappoint when he instead released her and took a step back.

He cleared his throat and commanded, "Again."

She nodded and gnawed on her lip softly as she stepped back as well.

When he reached for her the third time, she stepped out of his reach and tucked her arms around her back to avoid him, but he simply leaned forward and placed his hands on either side of her waist and pulled her close.

He didn't hesitate this time to step away from her, and she was far too frustrated to feel disappointed.

"Well I suck," she deadpanned, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"You're not that bad for a beginner. Your brain just isn't hardwired to flee yet," he comforted.

She bit her lip again and gave him an unconvinced look.

He offered her a cocky smile and teased, "Besides, it must be hard for you to convince yourself that you want to get away from someone as sexy as me."

Ally blushed and rolled her eyes to hide her embarrassment. It was a little tricky to remind herself that she was supposed to be avoiding him, but not because of how sexy he was- although that didn't hurt. It was just because he was _Austin_. Trying to avoid him felt sort of wrong to her, and she couldn't quite explain why.

She shook her to dispel those thoughts and tried to focus only on wiping that smug look off his face.

He raised his eyebrows at her and she nodded to signal that she was ready.

Austin reached for her a fourth time and the sequence repeated itself. She stepped back and tucked her arms behind her back only to be reeled in with his hands on her waist.

"We can try ag- oof," Austin comforted when he grabbed her, only to have her stomp on his foot.

He shifted his balance slightly to his other foot in pain and Ally used that as an opportunity to wrap her left leg around his right and maneuvered it forward so that he'd lose his balance.

Her plan worked just as she thought it would and Austin instantly began pulling back. Ally tried to free herself from his grasp, but in an effort to steady himself, he tightened his grip on her waist, sending the both of them tumbling backwards.

Ally's head hit Austin's chest and it left her a little surprised. She hadn't expected this outcome. She lifted her head slightly to catch his eye and saw him looking at her in amazement.

"You surprised me," he stated, his voice full of awe.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I don't know what I was thin-" she began.

"No," he interrupted, "That was awesome. It probably wouldn't help you much in a fight, but you are the first person to catch me off guard in the longest time. I'm impressed."

Ally's face broke out into a wide grin and she teased, "Well I don't know why it doesn't happen more often. It wasn't that hard."

Austin laughed loudly and replied, "Oh really? You're so much more skilled than me? You have this whole thing under control?"

Ally fake-thought about it for a moment before answering, "Of course."

His eyes twinkled mischievously. Suddenly, Austin rolled them so that he was hovering above her with her hands pinned above her heads.

He smirked at her incredulous expression and cocked an eyebrow at her smugly.

Leaning in closer, he teased, "You still in control, Ally?"

Ally felt a shiver run down her spine as she racked her brain for answers. When nothing came, she focused instead on steadying her breathing. She briefly worried that he could hear her heart beat, but she quickly scolded herself for being so silly. That did little to dispel the butterflies in her stomach though.

Ally gulped and Austin's smile faded slowly as he began to realize the position they were in. For the second time that day, his gaze fell to her lips and his own breathing became a little uneven. His eyes lingered on her lips for a moment more before finding her eyes. They maintained eye contact for a moment and Austin began to lean forward almost minutely. Ally knew that he was going to kiss her.

Instead, he cleared his throat and pulled away from her. He helped her to her feet and in a hoarse voice said, "That's enough for today."

Ally gulped and nodded, trying to quell the unexplainable disappointment she felt.

**A/N: I hope this pleased you guys. I really want to build up the chemistry between Austin and Ally so don't be too frustrated. I hope the fighting scene lived up to the expectations. I love you guys! Please leave some feedback!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Omg the reviews! I had to update immediately because you guys got me so pumped to update! I love you guys! This is a little fluffy and I'm sorry! I know I've explained this before, but I don't want them to meet each other, have this instant connection, and then make out/fall in love within 5 seconds. I want it to be like a real relationship. Without further ado, here's the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: *sings* I reflect on my reflection… and I ask myself the question…. Do I own Austin and Ally? *stops singing* No. No I do not.**

Chapter 8

They fell into a sort of routine at the beach house.

She would wake up, shower, get dressed up promptly at 8 am and proceed to make Austin pancakes. She'd deduced that they were something he'd liked when she'd noticed that he'd purchased more than a dozen boxes of pancake makings. The house already came furnished with a skillet that she could make them on, so the day after their almost-kiss she'd set to work.

She'd had no idea just how much he'd loved pancakes.

The second she'd poured the batter onto the skillet, he'd come bursting into the kitchen in just basketball shorts he'd gone to bed in.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise, trying to avoid looking at his at his rather impressive chest, and he looked at her fiercely.

Without explanation, he asked, "You're making pancakes?"

Ally's eyes widened and she stammered, "Well, uhm yes. I-I just thought t-that maybe y-you'd be hungry or-"

She was cut off by him pulling her into a hug, lifting her off of her feet and spinning her around. In the cramped kitchen, it was a miracle he hadn't hurt her.

She let out a squeal of surprise at his actions.

When he set her down, she exclaimed, "What was that?"

He smiled widely and replied, "I _love_ pancakes!"

"No kidding," she murmured good-naturedly, turning her attention back to the pancakes.

He lifted himself up to sit on the counter behind her and playfully nudged the back of her leg with his foot.

She turned around to face him and slapped his knee, jovially scolding, "Get your butt off the counter! We eat there."

He rolled his eyes and hopped off of the counter.

Instantly, she'd realized her mistake. The pair was practically chest to chest and they found themselves in a position similar to yesterday.

Just like yesterday, his gaze flicked to her lips and remained there for a beat too long. He cleared his throat again and began to pull away. Ally released the breath she'd been holding captive as he back away and felt that familiar feeling of disappointment. Quickly, so quickly she'd had a hard time believing it really happened, he leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek.

Her eyes went wide as a jolt of electricity made its way through her body. He pulled back quickly and offered her an awkward smile.

"I'm going to go uhm get dressed," he stammered awkwardly as he rushed out of the room, leaving a flustered Ally in his wake.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After pancakes, Ally would usually ask Austin if he'd take her to the library in town for books.

To which he'd reply, "If I let you buy books then you'll use it as an excuse to revert back to shy, nervous Ally and you won't be forced to find entertainment in me."

She could tell that he was joking, so she'd joke back, "Well, then entertain me."

And he'd proceed to do something amazingly Austin-like and make her drop the subject.

One time, he pulled her close and taught her how to salsa.

Or tried to, at least. He'd been appalled to discover that her dancing skills were nonexistent the first time he'd try to teach her.

"How do you not know how to dance? Dancing is life," he'd mock.

She rolled her eyes playfully and replied, "I have about as much grace as a three legged dog, so dancing was never a part of my life."

"Well, it is now. You give me a couple weeks of your time, Ms. Dawson, and I will make you an amazing dancer," he replied.

He didn't make her an amazing dancer. Nothing could have made her an amazing dancer. But it gave her an excuse to be in Austin's arms and she had a lot of fun in the process.

Other times, he'd forced her to go to the beach.

"I hate the beach," Ally whined as she applied sunscreen to her shoulders.

Austin was getting changed in his room and Ally was yelling through the door.

The door swung open and he stepped out in a t-shirt and swim trunks.

"No one hates the beach, Ally. Just give it a tr-" he trailed off when he caught sight of her in her two-piece bathing suit.

She felt her face heat up as he ogled her obviously. He cleared his throat and shook his head, to stop himself from eyeing her.

"You look n-nice, Ally," he stuttered, his voice slightly hoarse.

She was positive that her face was as red as a tomato when she replied, "Thanks."

She tossed him the lotion and pulled on one of his gigantic t-shirts as a cover up. He packed them some supplies and Ally packed them some food for their day.

"This is going to be fun, Ally. You'll see," he promised.

It was not as fun as he'd planned at first, and that was entirely his fault. He underestimated just how much of a stick in the mud Ally could be when she really wanted to be.

"Can we please do something fun? Let's play catch or go swimming or something other than under the shade and be miserable?" he begged.

She rolled her eyes and answered, "This is fun. I'm having a nice time relaxing. You're the one who always has to do something. I swear you're like a puppy."

And it was true. She was enjoying the peace.

"I am not like a puppy," he scoffed, puffing his chest in an effort to appear manlier. It only succeeded in making him look sillier.

"Yes you are," she teased, "If you want to go play so much then go play."

He rolled his eyes as if her suggestion was preposterous and replied, "I'm not going to leave you alone on a crowded beach. I am still supposed to be protecting you."

She guessed her suggestion had been a bad one.

"Besides," he added, "I'm determined to make you have fun."

"You can't _make _me have fun."

He smirked and that mischievous glint reappeared in his eyes. He sat down in the sand next to her. He was very close. He leaned in even closer to whisper in her ear, "You wanna bet?"

Her eyes widened when she realized what he meant, but she was too late for her to escape to safety. Before she had a chance to react, he scooped her into his arms and carried her bridal style to the water.

"Austin! No! Put me down!" she yelled, not even slightly concerned about attracting attention.

He carried her into the water, only stopping when he was waist deep. He held her above the water, but her cover up was dangling in the water.

"Only if you tell me that I'm the awesomest person you've ever met," he teased.

"Never, now let me go!" she squealed.

He seemed to consider her proposal and faked a thoughtful look.

"Alright. I'll do what you want. But I gotta say," he paused, his eyes finding hers. He smiled evilly as he continued, "That was a poor choice of words."

Ally had just enough time to shut her mouth before he dropped her into the ocean.

The cold was actually a welcome relief on her skin after sitting in the warm sun all day, but she was enjoying their game. So when she resurfaced to Austin's laughter, she did her best to appear mad.

He laughed even louder at her expression, nearly doubling over.

"Very funny, Austin. I hope you enjoyed that, because it's my turn to laugh," she stated mischievously.

His eyes widened in surprise as she rammed into him, sending them both toppling backwards into the water.

He instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up.

When they reached the surface, his eyes were wide and his expression was surprised.

"You're pretty good at this surprising me thing," he laughed, separating from her a little, probably to avoid another almost-kiss moment.

Ally smiled widely at him and replied, "Just trying to keep you on your toes."

"Mission accomplished," he teased, his eyes amused.

Instead of replying, she splashed him, and the two spent the rest of their day at the beach having a splash fight.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When they finished their Austin-like activity, they trained for about an hour or so before calling it quits.

Her favorite part of the routine though, was the night.

Austin would light a fire in the fireplace and they would sit on the carpet in front of it. Austin would usually bring his guitar over with him and strum it lazily. Sometimes they would make up lyrics to match the melody and other times they would talk.

It was dark outside one night and Austin played a soft, slow tune when Ally asked to learn more about him.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

She leaned her head against the wall right next to the fireplace, relishing the coolness of it against her warm forehead. She was more relaxed there with Austin with her life possibly in danger than she'd ever been.

She contemplated for a few moments before answering, "Tell me about your family."

He nodded slowly, acknowledging her question, and replied, "I'm an only child. My parents own a chain of mattress stores around the world. We used to be pretty close, but our relationship got tough when I refused to join the family business. They tried to accept my decision to join CIA, but I could tell they didn't approve. My mom was scared for me and my dad was mostly disappointed. They tried to hide it, but I could tell. We still talk, but it's not really the same."

Ally reached out and gave his arm a squeeze when he appeared lost in a train of thought. She was going to retract her arm, but he placed his on top of hers, and ran his thumb over it, almost absentmindedly.

Ally smiled at the jolt of electricity she felt. She was quickly becoming addicted to it.

They stayed like that for a couple minutes, before he came to his senses and removed his hand. She followed suit.

He cleared his throat, something he did when he felt uncomfortable, and asked, "What about your family?"

"Well, my dad owns a bunch of music stores in malls throughout the country, so we're pretty wealthy. He's usually away on business and stuff, but when he's home, he's pretty tough on me. He wants me to be successful or marry wealthy. That's why he set me up with-" she froze and took a minute to collect her thoughts, before beginning again, "My mom is a bit of a free spirit. She's an author of like books about different places so she travels a lot. She doesn't come home a lot, but when she does she's really nice. My older sister and I mostly got raised by maids and butlers."

Austin nodded sympathetically and asked, "Are you close with your sister?"

"Yeah. I am. She can be a bit snobbish sometimes, probably because of our upbringing, but she's really nice. Everyone loves her. She's the smart one, and the talented one and the pretty one. I kind of just have been living happily in her shadow," Ally let out a sad laugh, curious as to why she was spilling her guts to someone who was practically a stranger. But Austin was hardly a stranger. She felt like she knew him better than she knew people she'd known for years.

"I doubt she's smarter than you. I mean, you managed to catch _me _off guard! That's pretty impressive," he stated, scrunching his face in disbelief.

"Well, she always got better grades than me," Ally explained.

"Intelligence isn't measured in tests and quizzes," he replied quickly.

She opened her mouth to argue with him, but he cut her off by saying, "And your voice is beautiful. You're a natural songwriter. The lyrics you spit out at me when I'm playing are awesome and you're not even trying."

Ally blushed from the compliment and smiled. She started to thank him, but he wasn't finished.

"And I know this is going to embarrass you, but you're probably one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen."

He was right. It did embarrass her. Her blush deepened and she had trouble making eye contact with him.

Sensing her discomfort, Austin asked, "It doesn't sound like you guys are super close."

Relieved at the relative change in subject, Ally replied, "We are. I didn't mind all of the pressure being taken off of me. And my sister is pretty nice if she likes you. She's loud and fun, kind of like my opposite. We get along really well. She was one of my maids of honor."

"One of?" Austin asked, his eyebrows rising in confusion.

"Yeah. I have this friend, Trish, who's kind of like my sister, although they hate each other. She's loud too. I love her and I couldn't choose. So, I chose both of them."

He nodded and asked, "Can I ask you about the wedding, or is that a touchy subject?"

"I mean it's kind of a touchy subject, but you can ask. I'm sure I'll have to deal with a lot of these questions when I get home."

He didn't hesitate to ask, "Big or small?"

"It was huge. Totally ridiculous. I didn't know half of the people on the guest list. They were mostly Dallas' friends and business associates. It was horrible," she answered honestly, her face scrunching in disgust.

"So, you want a small wedding then?"

Ally made a 'duh' face and answered, "Can you honestly see me wanting to be the center of attention in what was basically a circus?"

Austin laughed and admitted, "Not really. I'm guessing you didn't have a lot of say in it?"

"Basically none. Dallas took control with the help of my sister. She meant well but none of it was me. I didn't even get to choose the dress."

"That sucks," he concluded.

"Tell me about it. I was about 24 hours away from walking down the aisle of a circus looking like a cupcake to marry a psychopath," Ally laughed, realizing how ridiculous it was.

Austin laughed too. And they sat like that for a while. Laughing at Ally's predicament like it was the funniest thing in the world.

But Ally's laughs became closer and closer to sobs, and Austin's ceased.

He scooted close to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his chest. She gladly sobbed into his shoulder and clung to his shirt as he ran his hand up and down her arm soothingly.

To tell you the truth, she wasn't sure why she was crying. With each day, her feelings for Austin grew and she became more convinced that she never even loved Dallas. She thought she did, but the more she thought about it the more she became sure that she'd just been trying to please her family.

Maybe it was the realization of just how badly her life had spiraled out of control. Maybe it was because of how ashamed she was of herself for losing control of her life. Maybe it was because she hated how stupid she was for being manipulated.

Maybe it was because she'd trusted Dallas. It taken a while, but he'd weaseled his way into her being. She didn't love him, but she'd given him almost everything nonetheless. If they'd made it to their wedding night, she really would have given him everything. Everything to someone she didn't even love and who didn't love her back.

Slowly, her sobs subsided and she regained control of herself. She let herself be held by Austin for a moment longer before pulling back.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

He shook his head and answered, "Don't be. This must be hard for you. You loved him and he-"

"No," she interrupted, her shaky voice becoming stronger, "No. I didn't love him. He manipulated me. I'm an idiot for letting him, but he did. He made me feel like no one else would want me and like I'd die without him, but that's not love. I never loved Dallas. I let myself be convinced that I needed him, but I don't. I'm just so stupid."

"You're not stupid, Ally. Dallas is a professional at what he does. You had no way to know that he was a psychopath," Austin argued.

Ally wished that she could believe him. Deep down, she knew that he was probably right, but she couldn't acknowledge it. She felt so _stupid._ She felt used.

Not wanting to argue about it, Ally said, "I'm almost relieved that he turned out to be crazy. I'm not happy that he's a killer obviously, but I almost made a huge mistake."

Austin nodded, his face showing that he understood.

"Besides," Ally added, feeling brave, "I got to meet you out of it. And if that's not a silver lining, then I don't know what is."

He smiled widely at her and put his arm around her shoulder again, pulling her to his side. She rested her head on his shoulder and he rested his head on top of hers.

They sat like that for a while, watching the fire in a comfortable silence.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The pair didn't know that they were being watched.

In an abandoned beach house next door, a man lay on the ground next to a window on the upper lever, with a camera. He snapped a couple more pictures of the two before pulling out his phone to make a call.

"Boss? The tip was right. She's here with some guy," the man said gruffly into the telephone.

The voice on the other end was silent for a few moments before he replied, "Wait until the man is distracted and bring the girl to me. Make sure you aren't followed, and if he catches you remember that nothing he can do to you will be as painful as what I will do if you reveal anything."

The man gulped and replied, "Sure thing boss. I won't fail you."

"I know you won't, Joe. You have a lot to lose if you do."

Joe clenched his fist and examined the picture he'd been given of the girl from the boss to make sure she was the same girl next door.

Just as Joe was about to hang up, the voice on the other end warned, "Remember, I want her alive and unharmed. Kill the boy only if it he spots you."

"Sure thing, boss."

**A/N: I wanted to do something to cut some of the fluffiness and remind you guys that there is a murderous fiancée out there. :P I hope you guys liked this chapter. I added the Ally crying thing because I wanted to make it clear that even though she's happy with Austin, she's a little traumatized. Would anyone be morally opposed if I added some cursing? Not a lot, but I think it might help a bit of the dialogue. Comment any suggestions or ideas or critiques. I want to make this story better for you guys every chapter. Review! Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Well, I have amazing reviewers! Thank you all so much for the kind words you said to me! You're amazing! And thanks for the opinions on cursing. It won't become like fill of profanity or anything, but I definitely see a handful of the characters I'm going to introduce eventually having potty mouths. Anyway, here's the chapter! The beginning-ish was a Guest's suggestion, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally. If I did, I would be rolling around in piles of money right now, rather than updating a fanfiction. **

Chapter 8

Ally was on her way to her bachelorette party when she realized that she left her wallet and phone at home.

She briefly entertained the idea of just going without it, but she managed to convince herself that if she kept driving in this storm, she'd get in an accident and need her phone to call an ambulance or tow truck.

So, that's what she told herself when she turned around and headed back to Dallas' house.

_Our house_, she chided herself. They'd been living together for two months and she still hadn't been able to grasp the concept that it was her house as well. It didn't feel like it. It certainly didn't help that Dallas refused to let her decorate it. He was convinced that she'd just screw it up. And he was probably right.

Ally shook her head to dispel any negative thoughts about her soon-to-be husband.

"I'm sure it's just wedding jitters," she reasoned aloud.

Lightning lit up the sky and Ally jumped in her seat. She hated storms. And this one was particularly bad. She tried not to take it as an omen, but the harsh thunder, driving rain, and fierce wind made it hard not to.

She wasn't entirely sure about getting married.

"Wedding jitters," she murmured, gnawing on her lip as thunder sounded. She almost wept with relief when Dallas' house came into view. She pulled up into the driveway, leapt out of her car, and dashed to the porch.

It was an old house. It was the type of house kids would make up stories about. They'd laugh about how it was haunted and be terrified to approach.

And now she was living in it.

The outside was completely a dark, brown wood and it was two stories. It was wide too. Just a large house overall.

The inside was dark as well. No lights were on and Ally assumed that Dallas wasn't home. She let herself in and shut the door silently behind her.

Remembering that she left her wallet and phone in their bedroom, Ally scurried upstairs and turned down the long dark hallway until she reached their bedroom.

Turning the knob slowly, she pushed the door open and slipped inside. She smiled when she saw her phone on the bed and grabbed it instantly.

Suddenly, a groaning sound caught her attention.

Quickly, she scanned the room for a threat and was shocked to find a strange man bleeding on her bedroom floor.

His face was pale and scrunched up in pain. Blood surrounded him and drenched his white shirt. He had one of Dallas' kitchen knives protruding from his chest. Before she could react, she heard a scuffling in the bathroom adjoining their bedroom.

_The killer must still be here_, Ally thought quickly. Her eyes went wide as she watched the doorknob to the bathroom door turn slowly.

Without thinking, she turned and flung herself into their closet, shutting the door behind her quickly, but leaving it open just a crack.

The killer stepped out of the bathroom and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. In the darkness, Ally could barely make out a face, but when she did, her heart nearly stopped.

Her fiancée was the killer.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ally jolted forward in her bed to the sound of crashing thunder.

Sighing, she ran a hand down her face and murmured, "I miss being an insomniac."

A flash of lightning lit up her room and Ally jumped in her bed. It was quickly followed by the loud crash of thunder.

Ally couldn't help the yelp that escaped her lips.

She'd never liked thunder. Or lightning.

She didn't mind the soft, steady rain, but this rain was beating down on her window angrily, and frankly it scared her.

She gnawed on her lip and drew her knees to her chest slowly. There was a lull where she thought that maybe the storm was over. Her hope was dashed by another streak of lightning through the sky, followed by some more loud thunder.

Ally yelped again louder this time. Within seconds, she heard a soft knock on her door followed by Austin's voice whispering, "Ally?"

Ally scrambled to her feet and pulled the door open. She took a second to take in his disheveled appearance. She must've woken him from his sleep.

Without a word, she stood on her tippy toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Without hesitation, his arms found her waist and he pulled her close.

"Does someone not like thunderstorms?" he asked quietly, with a hint of amusement behind his back.

"Shut up," she murmured into his shirt, a small smile spreading across her face.

He chuckled and started to move forward, leading her without detaching from her.

He stopped walking and moved his arm to her legs. She let out a small yelp as he lifted her off her feet. He sat in a soft chair in the corner of her room and swung her legs across his lap, pulling her even closer.

They stayed like that for the night, her head buried in the crook of his neck and his arms encircling her waist. He began to hum a calming melody at some point and she slowly drifted to sleep, all thoughts of the storm and her dream forgotten.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Austin had a cell phone that he always kept on him.

He constantly got alerts from what Ally assumed was the police station. He'd read them, a serious expression on his face, nod, and set his phone down without replying.

She asked him about it once and he'd told her that it was to keep updated on the case. She'd asked about cell-phone tracking and he'd told her that he had a friend at the station who was a computer genius. His friend, Dez, had designed a chip that made his phone impossible to track as long as he refrained from making phone calls or sending messages. It was still in the early stages which was why he wasn't allowed to make calls, but from what Ally understood, it worked perfectly. Austin had made it clear that Dez had no intention of his invention becoming open to just anybody. Only people he trusted absolutely got it. **(A/n: don't know if it's real. Made it up. Don't own it.)**

Which was currently only Austin.

He said that nothing new with case came to light and usually paid the updates little mind.

One day, it went off while they were training.

"Remember; always exploit a weakness in a life or death situation. So, that means that you're going to have to pay attention to-" Austin froze and his eyes flickered to his cell phone on the table.

His brow furrowed in confusion and he stared at it for a moment more.

"Is something wrong?" Ally asked, concerned by his reaction.

He looked over to her, as if remembering that she was there.

He paused thoughtfully before replying, "It's late and Dez has already updated me for the day."

Ally's eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Maybe it's good news?"

He smiled grimly at her before walking over to his phone and reading the message.

His expression only got more serious as he read. When he was finished, he looked up at her with a torn expression.

"What is it?" she asked, growing nervous with his silence.

"Dez needs me to get to a payphone," he answered, still looking conflicted.

"Okay, well then let's go," she stated, not quite understanding the problem.

Austin shook his head and added, "He told me to keep you out of public."

"Oh," she replied, finally seeing the problem, "So, you have to leave me here alone?"

He frowned deeply, clearly unhappy with the plan.

"I," he answered, "I guess so. Uhm there's a payphone not far from here. I should only be 10 minutes."

Ally nodded slowly, chewing on her lip nervously. Austin made no move to leave, and the two continued to stare at each other.

Ally sighed and said, "Hey, don't worry. I'll be fine. I have my taser and an awesome self-defense teacher. I can hold down the fort."

She walked to where Austin was standing and picked her taser off of the glass table. His frown deepened and he pulled her in for hug without warning.

She returned the embrace enthusiastically and wrapped her arms around his torso. His arms rested around her shoulders and his lips were on the top of her head.

"I'll be right back," he murmured into her hair.

Ally wasn't sure who he was trying to comfort, but agreed, "Totally," anyway.

He pulled away slowly, far too soon for Ally's tastes, and moved for the door. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he turned to her and ordered, "Lock the door behind me and only open it for me. I'll be right back."

Ally nodded and, reluctantly, Austin left, shutting the door firmly behind him. Ally hesitated for a moment before rushing to lock the doors.

With her back to the door, she looked around the house she'd become so accustomed to.

She'd never been more terrified in her life.

Determined not to overreact, she took a seat on the couch and willed herself to relax.

Within seconds, she was up and pacing the living room floor. This would be the longest ten minutes of her entire life.

At every sound, she jumped. She nearly screamed at the sound of her neighbor's wind chimes.

Chewing on her hair, she muttered, "Calm down, Dawson. You're safe. He's the best. You're safe. Austin wouldn't let anyone hurt you. You're safe."

She wasn't convinced though. What she was convinced of was the fact that Austin was probably dead and his body was probably being dumped into the ocean. The killers were coming for her next with Dallas as their ringleader. They were seconds away from her. They were going to kill her and hide her body where nobody would ever find it and then there'd be nobody to testify against Dallas. Then, he'd go free and go on a murdering rampage. He'd kill men, women, babies, maybe even a couple puppies. There was no end to-

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hurried knock on the door.

_AUSTIN!_ Her mind practically screamed as she scrambled to unlock the door. She swung the door open, determined to fling herself at Austin and laugh about silly she'd been.

She didn't get the chance though. It wasn't Austin at the door.

It was some big, burly man that Ally didn't recognize.

With a gun in his hand.

Smiling wickedly, the man said, "Your fiancée misses you."

**A/n: Yay for cliffhangers! Oh… wait… cliffhangers are bad? My mistake. Sorry guys. Please review with ideas and critiques and thoughts. Let me know what I can do to improve or what I could add to make you guys love this story! I will update soon! I love you guys! Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/n: Those are definitely some of the most interesting comments I've ever gotten. Sorry to keep you in suspense. Although I do think I'm updating pretty quickly. Thanks for all of the lovely reviews! Without further ado, here's the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Oh right. I'm still poor. I don't own Austin and Ally. Sucks to be me. Enjoy my pain. :3**

Chapter 10

At the very mention of Dallas, Ally's mind went into autopilot.

She thrust her arm forward and tasered the large man, whose eyes registered surprise before he stumbled back.

Ally took the moment as an opportunity to slam the door shut. He tried to block it with his body, but she just slammed the door into his body with all of her strength and he backed away unintentionally.

She quickly locked it and latched it. Without thinking about it, she grabbed one of the armchairs nearby and pushed it to the front of the door.

Scanning the house for a weapon, her eyes fell upon Austin's special cell-phone on the table. She contemplated ignoring it for a moment, but the man's banging on the door reminded her that she could only hold him off for so long. Quickly, she ran for his phone and searched his contacts for the name 'Dez'.

When she found it she pressed send and held the phone to her ear. She gnawed on her lip again and held the phone to her ear with her shoulder. With one hand holding the taser and the other free, she grabbed a nearby lamp and moved to stand next to the door, so that when it swung open, it'd give her the element of surprise.

The man rammed against the door and Ally knew that it wouldn't last for much longer. She raised her hand holding the lamp in preparation.

After the 4th ring, Dez answered, "Austin? I thought you had to go get Ally."

Ally almost relaxed at the knowledge that Austin was on his way back. The man's thumping against the door snapped her out of her stupor. The door was almost broken.

"This is Ally. I need help," she explained, her voice urgent.

His voice was surprised as he asked, "Ally? What's happening?"

Ally didn't get the chance to answer. The man crashed through the door, knocking it off its hinges. Ally dropped the phone in surprise and instinctively smashed the lamp over his head.

His face began to bleed and he looked stunned for a moment, before his face became a mask of fury.

"You little bitch," he screamed, reaching for her. Ally slipped out of his grasp and backed further into the living room.

She knew that she'd never be able to outrun this man. She'd never be able to block an attack. She'd managed to surprise him, but she was running out of tricks. She'd have to stall until he became too exhausted to fight or Austin came back.

He reached for her again, stumbling angrily in his rage, and Ally ducked away from his grasp. This man was not nearly as skilled as Austin.

She continued to back up, in the hopes of reaching the fire poker next to the fireplace. With a weapon, she stood a better chance.

When he reached for her again and failed, he must have discovered that he'd need to do more to catch her. She guessed that the gun was more for show than anything else, because he hadn't fired at her once. He acted almost as if it wasn't there.

_Dallas wants me alive_ she reasoned.

That thought cost her. He reached for an end table next to the couch and hurled it at her. She dove out of the way in time, but away from the fireplace. She scrambled to get to her feet, only to have them ripped out from under her by a strong grip around her angle. The man yanked her towards him, while she tried to cling to the ground.

When she was close enough to him, he turned her on her back and stepped on the wrist connected to the hand holding the taser. He pressed down and she loosened her grip on the weapon unintentionally. He quickly kicked it away from her and reached down to grab her hair. He yanked her up roughly and pressed her to the wall that was closest.

His hand moved from her hair to her throat and he applied light pressure.

Menacingly, he hissed, "Your fiancée is going to do some fun things to you when I take you back to him."

He lifted Ally slightly off of her feet and she clawed at his hand uselessly. Although he wasn't exactly strangling her, she felt herself get slightly lightheaded.

His eyes were crazed as he squeezed her neck. Blood trickled down his forehead to his chin, and he was still bleeding.

Just when she thought she was going to pass out, the man was yanked back forcefully and she was released.

She fell to the ground and gasped for air, trying to clear her fuzzy vision.

When her mind cleared slightly, she had to blink a few times to convince herself that what she saw was real.

Austin.

Austin quickly knocked the gun flying out of the man's hand. She heard it hit a wall near her, but kept her eyes on the two men as they fought.

Austin was significantly smaller than the other man, but he was much faster and, from what Ally had gathered, far more skilled.

Austin deftly dodged the man's strikes and counterattacked rapidly. It was fascinating to watch and there was almost something beautiful about Austin's movements. He moved with such grace and confidence.

But it was clear that he was angry, if just by the force he used to attack the man. The man clearly felt it too, as his moves became more sluggish and his accuracy faltered. His injuries didn't help either. Ally could see that blood from his head wounds kept going into his eyes, temporarily blinding him.

It seemed like the battle was only going to end with the man's passing out from tiredness, but in one swift move, Austin grabbed the man's head, pushed it down slightly, and lifted his knee to the man's face with such force that the man was unconscious instantly.

The man crumpled to the ground in defeat and Austin didn't hesitate in his following actions. He grabbed the man's wrist and dragged his body to a protruding pipe. Swiftly, he pulled handcuffs out of his back pocket and handcuffed both of the man's hands behind the pipe, trapping him there.

Austin watched the man for a moment more before his gaze found Ally's. She hadn't moved from the ground, as she'd been too enamored with their fight to move. In two large steps he was in front of her. He crouched down and placed a hand on either side of her waist, lifting her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes fierce as he scanned her for injuries.

She nodded slowly, still stunned by all that had happened. She felt tears well at the corner of her eyes and bit down on her lip lightly.

Austin's face softened and he pulled her close for a hug. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders obligingly and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"We have to leave," he whispered into her hair, almost more to himself than to her.

She pulled back slowly and captured his gaze, her heart swelling at the sight of a scrape just above his eye, which swelled slightly as if it'd bruise in the morning. He was her hero.

"Thank you," she whispered in response. He furrowed his brow in confusion as if he really wasn't sure why she'd thank him, but she didn't bother explaining.

Instead, she did something that surprised the both of them.

She pulled him in for a kiss.

**A/N: I'm not entirely sure how you guys will feel about this one. I'm hoping for a good reaction. :D Review either way though! Review if you want to bash me or give advice or make requests or even if you just want to say hi. Reviews make me update quickly! Also, no worries guys. This was only the tip of the iceberg of the things that these two are going to have to deal with. The call to Dez might make sort of sense later. Review please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: The reviews! I love you guys! You are so amazing with the reviews! Thanks for the feedback and suggestions! Don't you guys worry about anything! I have much more planned for this story in terms of Auslly and the crazy fiancée thing! Anyway, please enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Like literally, nothing. **

Chapter 11

Austin froze for a moment, before responding to the kiss enthusiastically.

His hands, already on her waist, pulled her tighter against his chest and he leaned down to deepen the kiss.

She buried her hands in his hair and stood on her toes for better access as his fingers dug into her sides. They were as close as they could be, but still not close enough.

His tongue skirted along her lips, asking for access, which she gladly permitted.

She felt fireworks and electricity and heat and all of those things you were supposed to feel with a kiss. Her grip in his hair tightened and pulled her even closer to his chest, if that was possible.

Ally would have been happy kissing him all day, but a loud groan coming from the man who'd attacked her, snapped them to their senses, and they jumped apart instantly.

Ally's eyes widened as she realized what she'd done. She'd never been so bold, but she somehow couldn't bring herself to regret the action. She watched as he panted lightly and eyed her curiously, his eyes flicking quickly from her eyes to her swollen lips to her eyes again. He shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts, and turned back to the attacker.

"Go pack a bag, Ally," he commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Sensing that he was in his agent mode, she quickly ran to her room and emptied her drawers into the small duffel bag he'd given her for travelling. After packing her clothes and toiletries, she reentered the living room to find Austin smiling cockily at the man.

She decided she'd go pack Austin's clothes as well, but paused before heading for his room to hear Austin say, "We're going to get your boss. That's a fact. And there's nothing he's going to do to you that will be worse than all of the jail time you've got ahead of you. So, you're just an idiot for getting mixed up with this guy."

The last line struck a chord with her. She in no way thought that her situation and the man's were similar, but she did feel stupid for getting involved with Dallas. She shuddered lightly before heading to his room.

She scanned his drawers to find that they were empty. Her eyes landed on his duffel bag and, upon closer examination, she found that he hadn't unpacked. She searched the room for any other items before grabbing the duffel bag and his guitar in its case and heading to the living room again.

This time, the man was gagged and blindfolded and Austin was filling a bag with some of the food.

He looked up at the sound of her approach and asked, "Do you have your taser?"

She ran to where she'd dropped it and retrieved it. Nodding, she volunteered, "I called Dez when I saw the guy, but dropped the phone before I could tell him anything. I know you said not to make calls, but it was an emergency."

Austin froze in his packing and nodded slowly before concluding, "No, you made a good choice. He's called the police then and they're on their way. That means we need to go, like now. Dez will explain things to them."

"Go where?" she asked, dreading the idea of leaving their safe, little beach house.

"I'll tell you later. Let's go," he decided, shutting the refrigerator.

He grabbed his bag of foods and his guitar case from her, before guiding her out the door. He stopped to retrieve his cell phone, which was vibrating insanely, and unlocked the car. They threw their things in the trunk and Ally moved to get into the passenger side when Austin exclaimed, "Wait a minute."

He was scanning the house next to theirs that was, as far as Ally knew, vacant. His gaze flickered to their house before he said, "Come with me. I want to check something out."

She followed him into the house next door, which was unlocked when they approached. He scanned the first floor quickly, before heading for the stairs and going to the second floor.

The first thing that grabbed Ally's attention was the camera placed sloppily on the window sill next to a pair of binoculars. She stepped closer to the window and picked the camera up to look through the photos.

She was shocked to discover that they were all of her and Austin.

There were several photos of the two sparring, or listening to music, or dancing, or at the beach. There were even photos from the few times they went into town. None before their first public outing at the beach though, which meant that they hadn't been directly followed. For some reason, this reassured her slightly.

And then there were photos just of her.

She was smiling and laughing in some. Sleeping in others. Gnawing on her lip or watching Austin in a few.

The knowledge that someone had been watching her terrified her to no end.

She shuddered for the second time that day and was comforted by Austin's steady hand on the small of her back.

"I'm going to send Dez here to pick these up," he explained.

Ally nodded as if she had any say in the matter and let him lead her back to the car.

As they drove away, they heard sirens blare in the distance.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They rode in silence for a few hours until Austin pulled up to a curb in an abandoned area.

It was raining lightly and the sky was dark because it was nearly 1 in the morning. Without explaining anything, he asked, "Do you want to stay in the car or come talk to Dez with me?"

"I want to come with you," she answered without needing to think about it.

He nodded and turned off the engine. Eyeing her quickly, he took off his black hoodie and handed it to her. She pulled it on and, at his request, pulled the hood over her head. She was swimming in the large hoodie, but it was soft, warm, and it smelled like him.

He opened the door and climbed out, with Ally following his lead. He instantly drew her to his side by draping his arm over her shoulder casually. On instinct, Ally wrapped her arm around his waist and allowed herself to be pressed to his side.

He led her to a parking lot with only a handful of cars in it. Ally wasn't sure why they were at first and was surprised when he pulled them to a payphone. Without hesitation, he inserted a few quarters and dialed a number that she assumed was Dez's.

He pulled Ally to his front so that their chests were touching and leaned down closer to her face. She thought he might be going to kiss her, which confused her since he'd just made a phone call. She was still disappointed, though, when he angled the phone so that she could hear the person on the other end.

After a few rings, the person answered, "You really know how to give somebody a stroke."

Ally smiled lightly at Dez's voice, but Austin's demeanor remained serious as he replied, "Ally's fine. She's listening in on the phone call right now. Tell her what you told me about how the guy who attacked us found her."

"Oh right. Hi Ally," he greeted, sounding surprised.

"Hi Dez," she said into the earpiece.

"I'm going to tell you, totally, but first I got to know what happened over on your end," he demanded. He sounded stressed out.

Austin sighed and replied, "The guy had been watching Ally and I from the house next door. Get one of our guys to search the place. I'll assume that Ally's call to you gave you the address," he paused. When Dez didn't contradict him, he continued, "The guy waited until I left to grab her. She managed to hold him off until I got there and took care of him. I interrogated him, but he never met Dallas," Ally flinched at his name and Austin's arm around her tightened. He resumed, "All he was given was an address, a phone number to a disposable phone, and a picture of her. You'll have to take care of the police. Will the phone call she made compromise the phone's invisibility?"

Dez hesitated and Ally could hear typing in the background. Slowly, he replied, "No. The call put you on the grid while it was happening, but once the call ended, so did the signal."

Austin nodded and said, "I'm going to take her somewhere else. I'll let you know once we've gotten there. Did you want to explain to Ally what happened?"

"Right!" he exclaimed, "Okay, so Ally, your fiancée is a very clever man. The day after everything happened, he began to circulate a photo of you that claimed you'd been abducted. I didn't think to monitor that kind of thing. I've replaced the picture of you with a picture of someone who really is missing, so hopefully you'll be fine and I'll keep a better eye on him. Most likely, when Austin took you out in public, someone recognized you and called the number Dallas provided and he sent someone to check it out. We've tried to track the number, but he's smart, so it's a dead-end. He's very clever, but I swear, I'm going to make sure he doesn't pull a stunt like that again."

Ally's jaw dropped. That _was_ clever. He relied on the goodness of people to find her. That was a scary idea.

Up to that point, Ally had assumed that Dallas probably wouldn't try to find her. She was scared that he had been, but it seemed like a distant fear. She didn't think he'd actually risk being caught to find her. It made her situation seem even more terrifying.

"Thank you, Dez," Ally said into the phone, the terror clearly displayed in her voice.

"We're going to find him, so don't worry. And Austin's going to keep you safe. He's the very best in the business," he reassured, his voice straining to sound cheerful.

Ally looked up at Austin. His face was serious and Ally could sense that this was the first time he'd really considered Dallas a threat. Their eyes locked and Ally was overwhelmed by the feeling that he'd protect her at any cost.

"Thanks Dez. I'll be in touch," Austin concluded, hanging up the phone.

They were slightly wet, so they hurried back to the car.

He slammed his door shut and cranked the heat up in his car. They sat there for a while. Austin looked conflicted and Ally searched for the right words to ease his internal struggle. Finding nothing suitable, she simply watched him from the corner of her eye.

Finally, he said, "He got close."

Ally's brow furrowed in confusion and she opened her mouth to interrogate him.

Turning his head quickly, he caught her eyes.

His expression was serious, when he told her, "I won't let him get that close again."

**A/N: Well I hoped you guys liked this chapter. I got a review confused about Ally's phone call, so let me explain. Typically, every phone can be tracked as long as they're turned on. Dez made a chip so that Austin's could only be tracked if he was sending something out, so that Dez could keep him updated without putting him on the grid. Ally called Dez when she was being attacked because she wanted Dez to be able to track her to send her help. Sorry if there was any confusion. Just so you guys can be reassured: There will be more Auslly fluff. There will be more sexual tension buildup. There will be more development of their relationships. I also hope to develop Ally's relationship with Dallas up more and maybe Austin's with Dez a smidge because I love their friendship. There will also be more action and shizz. So, the kiss was not them ending up together and the fight was not the last we'll see of Dallas in this story. I just wanted to give you guys maybe something to look forward to in case this chapter was disappointing. Please leave me reviews! I love suggestions and ideas and complaints and (of course) even praise if you like what I'm doing. Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/n: I honestly love you guys! I'm at 137 reviews somehow. That's more than any story I've ever written! I have no idea why you guys are so good to me, but thank you. I hope I don't disappoint. Enjoy the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally. I've only recently begun owning shoes… so maybe one day…**

Chapter 12

The car ride was mostly awkward, to say the least.

Austin didn't say much after his declaration. He simply sat with his fists clenched on the steering wheel and his gaze locked forward. He looked _really _angry.

Ally wanted to broach the subject of their kiss. She really wanted to figure out how he was feeling about it. He seemed to enjoy it while it was happening, but his silence worried her. Maybe he hadn't enjoyed. Maybe he'd just been too surprised to push her away. Maybe she'd made it out in her mind to be some huge, romantic moment, while in his eyes, it was awkward and uncomfortable. Ally had never gotten any feedback on her kissing, so maybe she was really bad at it.

He certainly had experience. You couldn't walk around looking like Austin did and not have experience. Ally had experience too, but probably not as much. She was shy around guys. She was pretty shy around anyone actually.

_Maybe I'm just a really bad kisser,_ she wondered to herself.

"What?" he exclaimed.

Ally's eyes widened and she turned to find him glancing at her confusedly.

"Shit," she muttered quietly, realizing that she'd spoken out loud.

A blush crept up her cheeks as Austin's brow furrowed and he continued to glance at her.

"What did you hear?" she asked, hoping that maybe it'd just sounded like an incoherent mumble to him. The look on his face was enough to warn her to not get her hopes up.

Instead of answering her, he stated, "You're not a bad kisser. You're actually a really good one. Probably the best kiss I've ever had."

His voice lost volume as he spoke, so she had to strain to hear the rest of it. When she did, her blush intensified. Covering her face with her hands, she groaned, "Nooo! You weren't supposed to hear that!"

His face showed a hint of a smile, but for some reason he repressed it. He was clearly trying to remain as serious as possible.

"Well I did. And now that you brought it up, I should apologize.

This time it was Ally's turn to look confused.

"Apologize for what?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, before replying, "That kiss was totally inappropriate and I shouldn't have taken advantage of you. I'm sorry."

Ally wasn't even sure what to say. _She _certainly wasn't sorry. And she had kissed him. Her mind was searching for some logic behind what he said, but could find none.

So, rather unintelligibly, she replied, "Huh?"

His jaw set. He was restraining himself, but from what?

"You're going through a lot and I took advantage of that," he elaborated.

"B-but," she stammered, suddenly yearning for the silence she'd unintentionally shattered, "I kissed you!"

"I know. But I shouldn't have responded like that. I should have pushed you away because I know it wasn't real and you're going to regret it."

Once again, her mind was reeling. She had no idea what was happening. She felt anger rise up in her chest as she exclaimed, "It felt pretty real to me!"

"Well, it wasn't and it won't happen again. I'm sorry."

His eyes were hard and his jaw was clenched. He certainly didn't sorry. Or happy to be saying any of this.

"If you didn't enjoy it, you could've just said so, but don't try to put it off on me regretting it."

His eyes widened and his mouth hung agape.

"You don't think _I_ enjoyed it? _That's _not the problem!" he exclaimed.

"Really? Then what is the problem?"

"The problem is that it wasn't real!"

"There you go again! Stop saying that! It was real for me. Whether it was for you or not is different, but it was real for me!" she yelled, growing angrier than she'd been in months. She typically only got angry at silly everyday things, and it was usually fleeting. She was so angry that he might as well have been saying 'libary' with his mouth full while rubbing Styrofoam together.

"No it wasn't!" he yelled, growing more and more frustrated as the argument progressed.

"Stop telling me how I feel!" she screamed, furious now.

He took a deep breath, supposedly to calm himself, but from the look of his death grip on the steering wheel it wasn't working.

After a moment of silence, Austin said, "Have you ever heard about transference?"

"No," Ally answered, growing more confused than angry.

Taking another breath, he explained, "It's this thing where people sort of imagine feelings to people in my position."

"Your position?" she questioned, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"A protector," he replied, "You just had your heart broken by someone you trusted and you're in danger. Since I was there that night to get you to safety and I've been protecting you, you know you can trust me and see me as your hero. Because of that, you've convinced yourself that you have feelings for me, which is why you kissed me."

"I do have feelings for you," she admitted, irritated.

"That's what everyone thinks. This happens to me almost every time. The guys I watch think we're best friends and the girls think that they're in love with me."

"Oh, so I guess you kiss a lot of the girls you protect," she surmised, her heart falling.

His eyes widened and he quickly exclaimed, "No! No, I don't! I've never had any interest in anyone I've been told to protect. They throw themselves at me, but I keep them at arm's length."

"So why did you let me kiss you?"

He sighed and admitted, "Because I'm having a hard time keeping you at arm's length. I have feelings for you and that's never happened to me before. In fact, I don't think I've ever felt this way about anyone," he paused, "but you're going to go home to your family and your friends and you'll be embarrassed that you thought you had feelings for me and you'll remember that you have a real life. It happens every time and I've never regretted that, but the feelings you think you have for me aren't real."

Ally was having a hard time keeping up with him. She was flustered and happy that he had feelings for her, but she was irritated that he'd dismissed hers for him so quickly. Ally was typically pretty careful with her heart- which was ironic considering her relationship with Dallas. But her family had really pushed her into dating him, and he seemed like a safe bet. Besides, marrying someone you never loved meant your heart would never be broken.

It was different with Austin though. She hadn't wanted to like him. She knew very well that he could break her heart and that terrified her. But it also excited her.

She _knew _that this wasn't fake. The attraction between them was magnetic. He felt the pull too. He was also just a sweet, caring guy. She couldn't deny that she did see him as her hero sometimes and she especially did before they'd kissed, but that's not why she liked him. He was funny and dorky and adorable. She wasn't just imagining that.

Ally's head was spinning and she wasn't sure if could handle all of this. Austin was watching her from the corner of his eye, measuring her reaction.

"Austin, I'm not just imagining this. I don't have feelings for you because you're protecting me. I have feelings for you because you're sweet and charming and funny and adorable. This is real," she argued, hoping to get through to him.

He sighed again. She didn't like to hear him so down, but didn't know how to make him believe her.

"Ally, I wish I could believe you, but I can't risk taking advantage of you. I don't want to make you do something you'll regret and I really don't want to hurt you. If I pursue something with you and you get home and realize it's fake, then you're probably going to be upset that someone you trusted who knew that your feelings could be transference let you do this. I'm not going to risk hurting you. So, nothing romantic can happen between us while you're in my custody."

Austin's tone left no room for argument and Ally could see where he was coming from, but she couldn't help the disappointment that washed over her.

"Fine," she muttered, wanting nothing more than to crawl into a hole and die.

Another moment of silence fell between them.

Sighing once again, Austin begrudgingly admitted, "Once this is over though, maybe we could give this a shot, assuming that you still have feelings for me."

He rolled to a stop at a red light and used it as an opportunity to look over at her. A small smile spread across her face and she felt hope bloom in her chest. It wasn't much, but it was something.

His stern expression left his face and was replaced by one of his wide grins.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, as she answered, "Sounds like a deal. I'll wait until this is over to throw myself at you."

His smile widened and he teased, "By the time this is over you'll probably be trying to throw yourself off a cliff to get _away_ from me."

She rolled her eyes playfully and replied, "Oh please. You better be prepared for when this is over, Moon. Because I'm still going to have feelings for you and I expect to be wooed."

He let out a laugh and quipped, "Oh you'll be wooed alright. You can count on that, Ms. Dawson. You're going to be so wooed that you won't even know what hit you."

Ally smiled widely at the prospect and suddenly wanted nothing more than to go home. Austin's own smile widened as he snuck in once last look at her before the light turned green and he kept driving.

_They better catch Dallas soon_, Ally thought.

Austin turned on the radio and Ally smiled as she felt all of the tension in the car disperse. She felt relieved that they were just on hold, rather than over. And all she had to do was wait.

_That won't be so bad_, she hoped.

**A/N: I did say there would be more sexual tension didn't I? Sorry no happily ever after yet. :P I like this chapter because if I were Austin I'd be pretty worried that Ally's feelings weren't genuine as well. He's a sweetheart. I liked it, but tell me what you think. I love ideas, suggestions, critiques, and even hate. Send it all. Let me know how I'm !**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/n: I think it's about time I told you guys what happened that night, like full story edition, so I hope you're looking forward to that. Props to the reviewer who wrote, "You want me happy right? Well then update ASAP". It was a guest so there was no name, but damn that was good incentive. I **_**do **_**want you to be happy. Hope this chapter is to your liking.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally. I don't own Austin. I don't own Ally. I don't own 'and'. I don't own anything mentioned in this chapter except for my creativity… and that's not super impressive.**

Chapter 13

"Where is my little Ally-cat?"

Dallas was practically purring at her. If she hadn't been terrified, she probably would have laughed at how affectionate he sounded. He was never that affectionate with her.

She heard a strangle moan from the bleeding man, and new instinctively that he was trying to distract Dallas. Her heart broke for him a little bit.

She heard Dallas' footsteps around the room. She felt his eyes linger on the closet door, but she watched him search around the room anyway.

He peered under the bed and called, "Is she under here?"

Ally's breath caught in her throat. He clearly knew where she was. He was simply toying with her. She briefly contemplated just leaving the closet now, and getting it all over with. She rejected the idea, knowing that she simply needed to stall until the police got there.

_Let him play his little game_, Ally thought, scanning the closet for a weapon. There were only a couple wooden hangers there and she mentally cursed herself for being so tidy.

She grabbed the hangers anyway and watched as he approached the door to the adjoining bathroom.

Gripping the door knob, he taunted, "Is she in," he paused, swinging the door open dramatically, "Here?"

She watched him rub his chin as if he were thinking deeply. Slowly, he took large, calculating steps to the door, calling, "Well, if she's not there, then the only place she could be is the," he paused, his eye catching hers through the slit in the door. As she watched his smile widened, her heart seemed to stop beating. _This _was true terror.

And then her fight or flight instincts kicked in.

Without waiting for his lead, Ally kicked the door open with all of her might, slamming it into his face in the process. He stumbled back, his expression one of pure surprise. She darted out of the closet, clothes hangers in hand, and sprinted for the bedroom door. When her hand reached the door knob, the tiniest seed of hope began to bloom in her chest.

Only to be suffocated by two large arms encircling her waist and yanking her backwards.

Her back hit Dallas' chest and he clutched her to him painfully, the clothes hangers clattering to the floor uselessly.

"You should have stayed away," he hissed into her ear. It sounded like his teeth were clenched, a tell-tale sign that he was angry.

He lifted her feet off the floor, leaving her writing in his grasp for a moment before slamming her onto the bed behind him.

Before she had a chance to attempt an escape, he hopped on top of her, pinning her arms above her head and straddling her hips.

"God, Ally, I was this close," he captured both of her slender wrists in his large hand, freeing his right hand. He held his forefinger and his thumb apart from each other, representing a small distance before continuing, "To letting you live, just because you're pretty and dumb."

He placed his free hand on her stomach, slowly moving it up her torso until it rested on her neck.

She was too horrified to scream. She heard the man groaning beside them as he began to apply pressure to her neck.

Dallas leaned down and placed a series of soft kisses along her neck, and for a moment it almost felt like they were alone and he was trying to seduce her. The contrast between his hands on her neck and the soft kisses scared her more than anything else. It singlehandedly tainted all of her memories of the past year and left her feeling nauseous.

How could he be so gentle to her and try to kill her at the same time?

_Dallas is insane_, she thought dully, as the pressure around her neck intensified and his kisses made their way up to her chin.

"If you weren't such a prude, I probably would've killed you earlier," he hissed roughly in-between kisses.

She squirmed even more against his grasp.

He pulled back from kissing her and gave her a look that showed nothing less than pure evil.

"But I wanted to be your first. I wanted to take everything from you before I killed you."

Ally would've been heartbroken if she could have thought straight, but her mind was fuzzy and she was going to pass out.

_This is it_, she concluded, coming to terms with her death. She was going to be murdered.

Suddenly, the sounds of sirens shattered the silence. The man had stopped groaning long before.

Surprised, Dallas removed his hands from her neck, allowing her to gasp in sweet, sweet air.

He got off the bed to glance out the window. Ally willed herself to try to run, but her mind was still focusing its sole attention on air.

"You dumb bitch," Dallas muttered, his eyes wide at the sight of the police Ally had called.

His eyes fell to her cell phone, which she must have dropped in the struggle, and his mouth set in a fine line.

He strode over to her and looked at her, sputtering for air, distastefully for a moment.

"It's over, Dallas," she wheezed, trying to sound strong despite how weak she felt.

He smiled cruelly again and leaned down to place a harsh kiss on her lips.

As he pulled away, he whispered, "I'm going to find you and I'm going to kill you, Ally Dawson."

With a satisfied smirk, he rushed out of the room.

It was a few more moments before the police were in front of the house and barging through the door, and Ally hadn't moved from her position on the bed.

She saw a tall, blonde, male officer rush into the room. He took a look at the man on the floor and then one at her. When he noticed the rise and fall of her chest, he gasped, "Oh shit," and rushed to her side.

His face hovered above her as he studied her closely.

"Miss? Are you okay?" he asked, quietly.

Ally caught his eye and just stared back at him, not prepared to speak quite yet. She found comfort in the warm, brown eyes above her, and couldn't bring herself to look away.

Wordlessly, he stared back at her. When another handful of officers rushed into the room, he lifted a hand to silence them and pointed in the direction of the man's body, maintaining the eye contact.

"Are you okay?" he asked again silently.

"No," Ally muttered, her voice hoarse and utterly broken.

"He got away," an officer called from the living room and the man above her clenched his jaw, angrily.

"He said that he'd find me and kill me," Ally whispered, sounding more like a scared child than a survivor.

"I'm going to keep you safe," the officer replied without hesitation, his gaze unwavering.

For some reason, she felt like he meant it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ally opened her eyes slowly, feeling strangely calm after the dream she'd just had.

It was, by far, the most horrifying of all she'd had, but for some reason, she wasn't scared. She almost smiled at how he'd somehow managed to protect her in her dreams.

Looking around her new room, she noticed him slumped in the chair across from her bed. His arms were crossed and his head was dangling. He'd obviously fallen asleep while looking after her.

As quietly as she could, Ally got out of bed and placed a blanket over him quickly. She studied him for a moment, marveling in the peaceful way he slept. In the time she'd known him, he'd always been relatively easygoing, unless there was danger, but none of those times matched how serene he looked while he was asleep.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she quickly placed a soft kiss on his cheek, before hurrying back to her bed and throwing the covers over herself.

He didn't stir, so Ally let out a sigh of relief at having not been caught.

Smiling again, she drifted off to sleep happily.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"These are the copies of the pictures Joe managed to take, sir."

Dallas looked up at the young man before him.

He looked scared as he tentatively place the photos on his desk and he had every right to be. Dallas didn't have a reputation for being the kindest when he'd received bad news. Joe's failure certainly was bad news.

But Dallas wasn't upset by it though.

To tell you the truth, he never expected Joe to succeed. He was slow and stupid. Ally wasn't stupid. Even if she'd somehow trusted him, she wasn't stupid.

Picking the stack of photos of slowly, Dallas waved a hand at the boy, dismissing him.

A normal man would have allowed himself to wonder how a boy who could be no older than 17 had managed to get caught up in an organization such as this. The boy certainly didn't look like he had the killer instinct necessary for Dallas' line of work.

But Dallas was no ordinary man.

He flicked through the photos of his fiancée, allowing himself to enjoy the sight of her beauty. She always had been rather beautiful, even if she didn't realize it.

He froze midway through the pictures when he came to one of Ally slung over the shoulder of some man.

He only caught the back of the man, but it was clear that they were at the beach, based on Ally's swimsuit, and Ally was having fun. She was laughing in the picture, something he'd noticed that she rarely did. She was more of a nervous giggler.

And she _hated _the beach.

He fought the surge of jealousy that threatened to surface as he studied the rest of the photos, most of which he was in.

They were dancing in one. Ally hated dancing.

They were hugging in another. She typically offered people an awkward handshake.

They were simply looking at each other and smiling happily in another. He and Ally certainly never did that.

The photo that irritated him the most though, was the one of the man, blonde, tall, muscular, and clearly the man protecting her, holding a guitar in his hand, focusing on his fingers.

Ally sat next to him, looking at him with something Dallas could only describe as adoration.

Maybe even love.

He crumpled the photos into a ball angrily and threw the mug of cold coffee that had been placed on the table in front of him against a wall.

_Now _he was jealous.

Not because he loved Ally. Not because the man was threat to him. Not because he didn't want to lose her.

No.

Ally was his.

**A/N: I hope this chapter was good. I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't one of my favorites. I think this is really good. Not so much for the Auslly romance obviously, but it really shows how messed up Dallas is. Review please! Ideas or suggestions or requests or critiques are always wanted. If you want to bash me, go ahead. If you want to compliment me, go ahead. Please review! It really does inspire me to update.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/n: Well, I'm gonna be honest, the reviews I've gotten have been 80% "we want Auslly" or "I can't wait for Auslly" or "What's happening with Auslly". So, I've decided to appease the great awesome reviewer gods and write some Auslly for you guys. A break from the tension wouldn't hurt anybody.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally… unless I'm dreaming. If I'm dreaming, then I totally do. I also own my own spaceship and a billion dollars and I'm a super successful and talented writer. *sigh* Well, a girl can dream. Maybe someday…**

Chapter 14

Ally's fingers tenderly probed her bruised neck.

She huffed in frustration. Her bruises had just faded before that guy attacked her and gave her some new ones. These ones were more painful though for some reason. Maybe it was because she just felt less numb in general and Austin had a huge part in that.

It sounded sweet. It _was _sweet.

But it was also awful.

Now that she was feeling less numb and terrified, she was acutely aware of her body's suffering.

She had long cuts in her arm from the lamp she'd smashed over the man's head that Austin had needed to stitch up shoddily. The hip that she'd fallen on was bruised, as was the ankle the man had yanked.

And she was just sore in general. She'd never been an overly active person. Or an active person at all really. Her training with Austin left her sore and breathless constantly.

So with the added irritation of the hideous bruises along her neck, Ally wasn't in the best shape.

And it irritated her.

She left the safety of her room to find him scanning the fridge in the kitchen, which was very similar to the one at their last hideout. He'd moved her to West Palm Beach, which was closer to Miami. The fact scared her more than she was willing to admit.

He lifted his from the fridge to offer her his trademark wide grin. Normally, she would've felt the cliché butterflies and smiled back, but she was far too irritated.

When she only frowned in response, Austin's smile faded and he shut the refrigerator to approach her cautiously.

"Is something wrong?" he asked carefully.

"I blame you," she responded abruptly.

His eyes held traces of amusement, as if he could tell that she was about to be silly, as he cocked an eyebrow at her and said, "Oh? What for?"

She frowned as if he should be able to read her mind by now.

"As if you don't know," she scoffed, taking satisfaction in the confusion on his face.

"I don't," he simply stated, genuinely confused.

She rolled her eyes and gestured to her neck dramatically.

His eyes darkened and he frowned and muttered, "I know."

Seeing that her gesture had been misunderstood, Ally quickly clarified, "Yeah, if you didn't walk around looking perfect 24/7 then I wouldn't even be concerned about this stuff," she paused, smiling lightly as his face brightened visibly, "So, just make yourself less attractive and we won't have this problem."

His grin returned to his face and he let out an almost relieved laugh as he realized her meaning.

Rolling his eyes, he quipped, "No way."

"Why not?" she whined, not bothering to hide her amusement. Austin always brought out her playful side. She never let herself be this silly with anyone else.

"Because I have to look my best when you look like that," he answered, gesturing to her.

"A train wreck?" she laughed, although she knew what he meant.

"Please," he scoffed, "You know that I think you're beautiful."

He'd paid her the compliment with an easy air about him that she always found refreshing. She felt her face heat up despite his ease and the sight of her blush made his smile widen. It was almost cocky. He clearly didn't mind the affect he had on her.

Ally rolled her eyes at him despite her hot face, but this only seemed to make him smile wider.

"It's still your fault," she grumbled.

He cocked his eyebrows at her and teased, "Aww poor Ally. Do you want me to kiss it better?"

He was teasing her. This, she knew. She could see it all over his smug face as he smiled at her. It was all in good fun, and truthfully it didn't bother her. It was rather entertaining.

But two could play at this game.

"That would be great," she replied nonchalantly, cocking her head aside to give him full access to her neck. She even went as far as to pull the hair out of the way.

He clearly had not expected her answer, because instantly, his smile dropped and his eyes widened. His eyes flicked to her neck before finding her eyes again.

"Uhh…"

"Is there a problem, Austin?" she asked, an innocent look on her face.

"N-no," he stammered, trying to regain his composure.

"Well, then, what are you waiting for?" she asked sweetly.

She waited for a stuttered, half-baked excuse to escape his lips. None came. Instead, he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss at the nape of her neck.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she felt her pulse quicken at the contact. She was positive that he could hear her heart beat out of her chest.

Tentatively, he peppered a handful of kisses around her neck before slowly, almost reluctantly pulling away.

Ally had to stop herself from gasping or panting despite the fact that she felt a little lightheaded. She opened her eyes quickly to find him looking at her intensely.

The humor was gone from his eyes and his mouth was in a straight line.

Ally met his gaze with just as much intensity. Suddenly, the air between them was thick with tension.

She _really _wanted to kiss him.

_He won't think it's real_, her mind reminded her harshly, shattering any thoughts of being brave enough to place another kiss on his lips.

This time, it was her clearing her throat.

"T-thanks. I f-feel better," she stuttered, before forcing herself to look away.

He nodded at her, a strange look crossing his face. It was one she hadn't seen on him before. Regret?

"Anytime," he replied, his voice lacking the usual amusement.

Ally gulped and, not for the first time, prayed that Dallas would be caught soon.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**(A different day)**

"Please?"

"No," Austin rejected firmly.

"Austin, I'm begging you," she pleaded, clasping her hands together in front of her.

He crossed his arms across his chest and shook his head firmly.

"Please! I'll wear sunglasses and a hat and four layers of clothes and a mask! Just please," she begged, sticking her lip out and widening her eyes. She hoped that he had a soft spot for puppy dog eyes.

Ally had been begging Austin to take her somewhere for the last twenty minutes, but was making no ground.

She knew that he was still shaken up from the last time she'd been attacked. He was convinced that if he'd never taken her to the beach, she'd never have been found.

Ally highly doubted that. She would've slipped up eventually. She liked to sit on the porch when it was night, so someone could've seen her there and called the number on Dallas' flyer. Someone could have even looked in their window while walking by and made the call. Austin's taking her to the beach just sped up the inevitable.

And she was tired of being cooped up in here.

She had fun with Austin, always, and while he they still did fun things like dancing or watching movies or playing games, but Ally needed some fresh air. And despite Austin's unwillingness to give in, Ally knew that he was restless too.

It was probably even worse for him. He led a pretty active lifestyle, so spending all day indoors must have been driving him up the wall.

His face softened slightly, before his steely exterior returned and he replied, "No. We're not leaving and that's final."

It was a minor chink in his armor, but it was a clear sign that he was weakening.

Ally groaned and exclaimed, "Austin, I am going insane! Please, please, please! Let's go somewhere! Anywhere at all. I need to breathe some fresh air!"

Austin clenched his jaw and he looked mad, but she could tell that he was considering it.

When he was thinking about it for over a minute, Ally added, "Please?"

Sighing dejectedly, Austin conceded, "Fine. I'll take you to town, but we're keeping a low profile and you have to stay close to me."

Ally let out an excited squeal like she was 16-year-old girl and ran forward and wrapped her arms around him. He hesitated before hugging her back. She could practically hear his reluctant smile.

"Thank you!" Ally exclaimed, detaching herself from Austin, too excited to feel embarrassed.

"Yeah, whatever," he muttered, trying to sound irritated. His amusement was only thinly veiled, though.

Ally hurried to her room to grab her shoes and a bag, almost scared that if she didn't hurry he'd change his mind.

She decided that she looked fine in her soft blue, strapless sundress and white knee socks. She pulled on her brown, leather boots and wrapped Austin's gray, knit scarf around her neck so that the bruises were covered. She pulled her brown, leather bag over her shoulder and checked to make sure she had her taser.

When she was done, she hurried out of the room to find him tucking a gun into the waistband of his jean. The sight reminded her of the morning they'd left when he'd done the same thing. It felt like it was worlds away. Austin was a stranger then and Ally was scared.

She was still scared, but not of Austin.

He looked up at her and smiled lightly. She was glad that he was done with pretending to be annoyed, because she wanted him to enjoy himself on their outing.

He picked up a plain white baseball cap with the word 'Marlins' across the front of it and handed it to her.

She took it, but not before cocking an eyebrow at him and asking, "Baseball fan?"

He shrugged and answered, "Loosely."

She nodded understandingly and pulled the large cap over her curly brown hair.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded and smiled excitedly once more before following him to the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**(Same day)**

"That movie was horrible," Ally deadpanned, shooting Austin a bored look over a plate of nachos at a restaurant Austin chose. It had a vaguely Mexican setting and was relatively empty, with the exception of a handful of couples scattered around.

They'd just finished watching a horror movie about zombie brides that Ally found incredibly boring. She'd even fallen asleep halfway through, unintentionally resting her head on his shoulder, a discovery she made when he woke her up after the movie.

"You're the only person I've ever met who thinks horror movies are boring," he exclaimed, sounding genuinely astonished.

Ally rolled her eyes and quipped, "I highly doubt that. They're too boring for me to be the only one who sees it."

"You are an enigma, Ally Dawson," he replied, looking at her like he she was book he was trying to read.

"Well then I guess I'm the exact opposite of you because I can read you like a book," Ally teased, smiling at him softly.

His lips curled into a smile and replied, "Aww really? That's a shame. I'd like to think I can surprise you sometimes."

"Nope," she answered, popping the 'p'.

"Well I wish I could read you like a book then, because you only ever manage to surprise me," he lamented, the smile etched on his face.

"Maybe we can fix that."

Surprise flashed across Austin's face momentarily before being replaced with genuine interest.

"Tell me about yourself," he requested, his smile widened.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

"Tell me about your job," he clarified, leaning back and looking relaxed.

"Oh well I'm an assistant at Star Records. I mostly run errands though. Coffee, mail, lunch. Silly stuff like that, but Mr. Star makes it worth it. He actually books real talent and he sometimes used to ask me for opinions or to sit in on recording sessions or meetings. He said that he was preparing me for my future, so I think he always intended to promote me once I'd paid my dues. It was a pretty cool job," she replied, smiling at the memory of her job. She legitimately liked it.

"But you're hoping to get signed one day?" he asked, his eyes alert. She felt like she had his full attention, and it was a nice feeling.

"Yeah. I'd love to be a singer/songwriter. I just have a tiny stage-fright problem," Ally admitted.

He nodded knowingly and asked, "You always seem so comfortable singing around me though?"

"Well, it's hard not to feel comfortable with you. Everything is just easier with you."

It was true though. She'd never been so open with anyone before in her life and he put her at ease.

He smiled lightly and replied, "I feel the same way."

"What about you? Isn't music your life? You're really talented."

"It is," Austin answered, "I love music. I always wanted to be a singer, but my dad told me that it was a one and a million chance. And my songwriting skills leave something to be desired. I like my job though. I still am dreaming that maybe one day I'll quit the force and try again."

"Why don't you?"

"I don't know," he confided, "Like I said, I love my job, but it breaks my heart having to see all of those people in so much pain. And I don't like having to run around all the time. It's tough to maintain relationships and stuff. It gets lonely."

"Lonely?" Ally inquired, taking note of how his face darkened ever so slightly.

"Yeah. I meet people when I'm not away and then I have to leave for who knows how long. And then while I'm away I become friends with different people and we become semi-close, not as close as some of them would like obviously, but still close. And then the bad guy gets caught and I'm still alone."

Austin looked down at the table, his face showing something Ally truly hadn't seen on him before. Sadness.

She could imagine that he got lonely. It seemed so obvious after he explained it. Austin's life was permanently on hold. Even though being a musician wasn't exactly a stable profession, it was better than what he was doing currently.

Without thinking, Ally reached out and grabbed his hand, interlocking their fingers.

He looked down at their hands and a smile began to form on his handsome face.

"I think I'm probably going to quit once the program I'm testing gets picked up. Then I'll stop," he continued. It sounded almost like he was telling himself that, but she listened anyway.

"Let's make a deal," Ally stated, without having to think about it, "I'll help you write songs if you help me conquer my stage fright."

Austin smiled at her, his sadness having passed, and nodded.

"I'd like that."

**A/N: I hope you guys liked this Auslly. I do, personally. I like the contrast between the first two moments because the first scene is flirtation and sexual attraction while the second one is deeper. I hope you guys like how their relationship is coming along. Let me know if you do or you don't or you know what would make this story better. Please just review! I love you guys.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/n: A message to L.B: Thanks for the review and I'm sorry if I disappointed you, but I assure you that I won't be focusing on their music careers in this story. That's not what this story is about. It was just something they were talking about to get to know each other. I hope that otherwise this story is still different enough for you. Please let me know if there's anything I could do to keep this story fresh and interesting. I will take any suggestions or requests that you have as long as they don't interfere with my own artistic vision. Sorry this was all public. I would've messaged you privately if I could have. Thanks again.**

**That goes for everyone. If you have a complaint or an idea or a suggestion or anything really, I'm all ears. I really don't want to let any of you guys down because you have all been so kind to me. So, please, let me know if I'm not doing a good job. I was really inspired to update so quickly to try and redeem myself sort of in the eyes of L.B. so bad reviews make me update too. Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned in this story and I don't have the energy to type something witty as a disclaimer so… sorry…**

Chapter 15

Ally collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

Austin was making the training sessions significantly more difficult. He swore that it was because she was improving, but Ally secretly believed that it was only because he was restless.

Their occasional outings did little to cure him of his restlessness and Ally was certainly suffering for it.

But despite this belief, she actually was managing to improve somewhat.

They'd moved on from her simply getting out of the way and were now focusing on defense. Austin didn't think that there was much he could teach her in the arts of offense considering how weak she was. He told her that he'd try to teach her a few moves that were based more on speed and weight distribution, but for the most part she'd have to go for groin.

After a handful of frustrating training sessions, she'd been tempted to ask if she could practice that move.

"Come on Ally. Block me," Austin commanded, his voice focused.

"I can't," she wheezed, still finding it hard to breathe.

"Yes you can," he countered, looking down at her with his face showing amusement.

She gave him a dead look and deadpanned, "No, I can't."

He held out his hand for her and, after a few more moments on the ground, she took it and let him pull her up.

"Let's try one more time. Then we can call it quits for the day. I'll even demonstrate it for you again," he offered, his charming smile doing wonders at convincing her.

"Damn that smile," Ally muttered, before nodding at him reluctantly.

"What's that?" he teased, his smile growing cocky.

"Just show me the stupid move," she huffed, rolling her eyes at him despite the blush that threatened to conquer her face.

He smiled at her again before taking the correct stance. He gave her a short nod and she knew that she was meant to swing at him.

Without hesitation, her arm swung out at Austin, only to be caught midair and pushed to the side. The move reminded her of the one from _The Karate Kid_. Wax on. Wax off. Damn that was a good movie **(A/n: I don't own it but that is a good movie. I highly recommend watching it! Original not the new version!)**

Unlike the move from _The Karate Kid_, Austin's hand latched onto her wrist and yanked her forward. He said that the point was to make the attacker off-balance and she'd be lying if she said that it didn't work. Then without warning, he pushed her back, holding onto her wrist.

If he hadn't been Ally would have definitely fallen over. He succeeded in knocking her off her feet. Slowly, he pulled her forward so that her feet were under again and put his hands on her waist to steady her.

She'd learned to ignore the sparks that shot through her when they touched, but couldn't ignore the disappointment she felt when he quickly pulled his hands away. The pulling away part was getting predictable.

And irritating.

He took note of the frustration on her face and asked, "Everything okay?"

"Mhm," she hummed. Wordlessly, she got into her fighting stance and nodded her head at him curtly.

He gave her a funny look, but followed her lead anyway.

Probably slower than he'd do if he was really in danger, Austin swung his arm out at her, ready for her to block it. She'd failed every time before to execute the move, but this time was slightly different.

She was pissed.

It was irrational, but she couldn't help feeling irritated at his distance. Since she never planned on taking it out on him, she decided she'd channel it into something useful.

So when Austin's arm came towards her she grabbed his wrist and yanked him to the side. Then, she pulled him forward and pushed him back, taking only a small amount of glee at the look on his face.

He was on the ground before her and she couldn't restrain the laugh that came from her lips. He looked _so_ surprised.

He quickly pushed himself up, still giving her that stunned look.

"You were right," she teased, smiling smugly, "I can do it."

She headed for the safety of her room, leaving him looking after her with his mouth hanging agape.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When she emerged from her room a little while later, she found him strumming his guitar on the couch.

Smiling widely, she didn't hesitate to join him. She plopped down on the side farthest away from her and tucked her feet underneath her, facing him.

He smiled lazily as he continued to play a soft melody.

Ally noticed that when they were having their own mini-jam sessions he tended to play more 'pop' music, but when he was just playing to play, the melody was always slow and soft. Those were her favorites.

"How are you doing?" he asked, after a moment of just sitting in silence.

"Fine. How are you?" she answered easily.

"No," he stated, looking up at her and capturing her eyes in his warm brown ones, "How are you doing with everything? I never ask you, but I want to check."

"I-" she froze, surprised. He really never did ask her about what had happened. He typically just tried to make her laugh or learn more about her.

She considered brushing the question off, but the look of concern on his face made her continue, "I miss my family."

He nodded slowly, waiting for her to continue. She didn't disappoint.

"I miss Trish. I miss my apartment and my job-"

"I thought you lived in that big creepy house?" he interrupted, his brow furrowing in confusion.

She scoffed, "Hardly. I mean technically I do, but I still have my nice, little apartment. I keep most of my stuff there. Dallas wanted me to move in immediately, but I told him to wait until after the wedding, because the last thing I wanted to do was move into that horrible house."

Austin laughed, so Ally, liking the sound of it, continued, "I'm serious. It was a witches' house. I was going to move into a witches' house in the middle of nowhere. Kids don't trick-or-treat at that house. No, what they do is make up stories about how a witch lives in that house and kills any boys who get even close. And then one day someone will get dared to ring the doorbell or something and will run away screaming before I even answer the door. It was hideous."

Austin's laugh grew and he was clutching his sides at this point. It was a little funny, so Ally laughed along lightly until he calmed down.

"That was funny," he admitted after having calmed himself down, "and very accurate."

"I know. It was clearly a serial killer house, so I can't really say that there weren't signs about Dallas."

Austin chuckled, picking up the teasing lilt in her voice.

"So other than missing everything, how are you?"

Ally sighed. She hadn't given it much thought to be honest.

"Uhm…," she answered, "I'm scared. I'm really, really scared. And I keep dreaming about-"

She froze, looking up at him quickly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to divulge this much information.

"You can tell me," Austin encouraged. His eyes were sympathetic.

"I keep dreaming about the man that Dallas k-killed."

Austin's eyes widened slightly, but otherwise, he showed no outward signs of surprise.

"I have this one recurring nightmare," she resumed, "where I'm the murderer. I killed the man and Dallas is just watching me proudly **(A/N: If you don't remember it reread the beginning of chapter 6)**."

Austin set his guitar down and moved closer to Ally so that her knee bumped his hip. The sudden closeness comforted her. He placed his hand on her knee in a comforting gesture that felt incredibly natural to Ally.

"You're not responsible for his death, Ally," Austin insisted seriously.

Ally shook her head, feeling tears welling up in her eyes, and averted her eyes.

Austin placed a finger under chin and lifted it so that her eyes met his. With the pad of his thumb, he wiped a stray tear that was falling down her face.

"It's not your fault," he whispered softly.

His words made the tears spill over and Ally shook her head again.

Scanning his face for a moment, Ally saw just how deeply he cared for her. He looked scared for her.

Taking a deep breath, Ally murmured, "You don't understand."

His brow furrowed, a dead giveaway that he was confused, and he asked, "What don't I understand?"

Ally let out a strangled sob and cried, "I-I thought that I d-didn't know h-him, b-but I do."

Austin's eyes enlarged. Before he could ask, Ally exclaimed, "He's a b-bartender. He gave me a f-free drink a few nights and told m-me that I was a s-sweetheart before e-everything happened."

"That's just a coincidence, Ally," Austin tried, but Ally wasn't finished.

"I was with D-Dallas when it h-happened. Y-you should've s-seen his f-face. H-he looked s-scary. He w-was so m-mad. We had to l-leave the bar."

Austin's brow furrowed again, causing Ally to yell, "Don't you see it? He did it because of me!"

"Ally, that wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything!" he exclaimed.

When he noticed her disbelieving expression, he argued, "All you did that night was go to a bar with your fiancée. You didn't flirt. You didn't give Dallas any reason to be jealous. You didn't implicate that man in any way. The dude was married! He probably wasn't even flirting with you! He probably was having a tough day full of angry, drunk guys and then in walks beautiful, sweet, angelic you. Of course, he gave you a drink. You're a ray of sunshine and all you did was shine in his life. Don't blame yourself because Dallas is a sick bastard."

Austin gave her an intense look. The entire rant surprised her. He seemed furious. She knew that it couldn't have been at her, but the sight surprised her nonetheless. Her sobs were done and the tears stopped flowing. She simply returned his look.

"Ally," his voice cracked, sounding defenseless.

His eyes flickered to her lips momentarily and Ally really hoped that he kissed her. The tension was thick and their eye contact did little help. Ally couldn't bring herself to look away from his dark brown orbs.

Slowly, he brought his hand up and wiped some of the remaining tears from her face. She leaned into the touch, her eyes fluttering shut at the feeling of his calloused thumb across her smooth cheek.

The sound of his gulp caused her to open her eyes. She prepared herself for the disappointment that always seemed to mar their intimate moments.

He looked at her lips again and surprised her by groaning, "Oh what the hell."

And then his lips crashed on hers.

**A/N: Oh look… Auslly happiness? It'd be a shame if somebody… (*Steven Moffat face*) ruined it. Props if you got that reference, but I'm just kidding. Probably. This is a crime story… so who knows what'll happen. Remember: Reviews = faster updates. I need to know how I'm doing. I really appreciate L.B for letting me know how he/she felt about my last chapter even though it wasn't entirely positive. I hope to please you guys so let me know if you have complaints or suggestions or anything! I love you guys.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I got 60 reviews for the last chapter. 60 reviews. I literally almost died. I think I am dead. In fact, this is my ghost. Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews! I love you all! Props to anyone who got the Steven Moffat reference. Doctor Who is one of my favorite shows. Anywho, where were we? Oh yeah Auslly kiss. Right. Here you go.**

**Disclaimer: I don't really own much of anything. Not even my soul. I sold that to Steven Moffat long ago.**

Chapter 16

Ally froze when his lips touched hers.

Was this a dream? She had a hard time believing that Austin actually did kiss her. He'd been so against continuing a romantic relationship until they found Dallas. This was certainly a surprise.

But certainly not an unwelcome one.

After her initial shock, Ally returned the kiss with full force. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her so she was flush against him with her knees on either side of his hips.

Austin's tongue skirted along Ally's before she opened hers, granting him full access. She felt her back hit the arm rest as he guided her to lie back on the couch.

She buried her fingers in his hair and pulled his face closer to her. Air was becoming unnecessary as their mouths fought for dominance and the butterflies in Ally's stomach were dying. She felt that familiar electricity jolt through her body until she felt it in her toes.

She was on cloud 9 and nothing was going to bring her down.

Except for maybe the ring of Austin's cell phone.

The phone rang out harshly in the silent room, helping to destroy the moment they'd been sharing. Slowly, Austin pulled away from her. Ally immediately missed the lip contact. He rested his forehead against hers and breathed heavily, his eyes shut.

Ally's breath was labored as well and she could feel her heart beat out of her chest. He made no move to leave her and for that she was glad.

If only if it weren't for that damn ringing.

Austin let out a frustrated groan his eyes shooting open. He searched her eyes for a moment before leaning forward to give her a peck on the lips that was over all too soon.

And then he was up and answering his phone.

"You shouldn't be calling me, Dez," Austin greeted, irritation evident in his voice.

Austin's back was to her, so Ally took that as an opportunity to straighten up. She moved into the seated position and fixed her t-shirt. She ran a hand through her unruly hair.

When Austin turned to face her, she mouthed, _How is he calling you?_

"He's redirecting our signal as we speak," he answered aloud. His brow furrowed and he added, "No, not you. I'm talking to Ally."

His eyes flickered to hers curiously and Ally wished she could hear what Dez was saying.

"Yeah she's in the room with me right now."

Ally's eyes widened as he spoke about her. His face became grim as he averted his eyes, suddenly finding the window enthralling.

"Sure, give me a sec," he pulled the phone away from his ear and placed a hand over the mouthpiece. Hesitantly, Austin said, "I'm just gonna take this into the other room. Dez has a private matter he wants to discuss. That okay?"

Ally wanted to tell him that she knew they'd be discussing her, so no, that was not okay. But she nodded anyway, positive that Austin had his reasons.

He gave her a forced smile and hurried to his bedroom, shutting his door behind him with a slam.

Ally hadn't intended to eavesdrop. Sure, the thought had crossed her mind once he left, but she'd shot it down instantly, resolving to wait for him patiently instead.

Her legs had a mind of their own unfortunately.

Within seconds of deciding not to eavesdrop, she found herself pressed against the door, struggling to hear everything he was saying.

_This is so wrong_, she chided herself. Those thoughts disappeared and were replaced thoughts of curiosity when she heard Austin whisper, "No. Absolutely not."

He sounded harsh and Ally found herself wishing she could hear Dez's voice for the second time that night.

Furiously, Austin's voice said, "I don't care what my boss thinks is best. I'm not using her as bait to catch this wacko."

There was a pause and Ally could only assume that Dez was speaking. Her curiosity was peaked as she realized that he was talking about her. Dez wanted to use _her_ as bait.

Austin's frustrated sigh was followed by, "I don't care. This little plan of yours isn't going to work. You've got to think of another way to get her father back."

Ally's heart stopped.

She strained to listen even more intensely, fighting the urge to vomit.

"I know we only have a week, but I'm not going to sacrifice Ally."

There was a pause.

"No, I don't think my personal feelings for her are getting in the way of my job. In case you forgot, protecting her is my job. Making sure that monster doesn't find her is my job."

Another pause.

"Dez, I know it sounds like a good idea, but this guy has been three steps ahead of us this entire time. I have no doubt that even if we do give him Ally and bug her and all that shit, he'll kill her. He'll probably kill her father too. This plan isn't going to work."

Pause.

"What about the clue he gave us? Any ideas about who Bunny is?"

Ally's eyes widened dramatically as she scanned her brain frantically for the answer to the clue. It was clearly meant for her.

Like a light bulb going off in her head, Ally figured it out. Bunny was Dallas' assistant. Her name was Elizabeth, but she reminded the two of them of a bunny, so that was what they'd called her from then on.

_Ok, what does he want me to do with Bunny?_

"I'll ask her what she knows about it and see if she can give us the number he wants her to call, but I'm not telling her about her dad and we're not sending her in as bait."

A clear picture was beginning to form in her mind of what was happening.

"I know he said he was going to kill him, but if we give him Ally, we'll have no witness and he won't go away. Think of all the people he'll kill."

Dallas had abducted her father, leaving behind a message for her to call Bunny within a week or else he'd…

Ally gulped, tears springing to her eyes.

Or else he'd kill her father.

"I said no. Find another plan. I'll let you know if I find anything."

The tone in his voice was final and Ally knew that he must've been about to hang up the phone.

Without thinking about it, she rushed back to her spot and attempted to appear apprehensive. She was already feeling panic, fear, and dread, so apprehension wasn't a challenge for her to fake.

When his door opened, Ally bolted up and exclaimed, "What did Dez want?"

Austin gave her a small smile that she couldn't help but notice was fake and answered, "He wanted to let me know that the guy who attacked you let something slip. He wanted me to ask you if it meant anything to you."

He had lied to her.

Although she knew that he was just trying to protect her, it hurt to hear him lie.

She forced her eyes to widen into what she hoped was an expression of surprise and asked, "What they find?"

"He just mentioned someone called Bunny. Ring any bells?" he inquired, scrutinizing her for signs of recognition.

She knew that she should have told him the truth. That would have been smart. The police could handle it.

But somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that she was her father's only chance.

So, she lied, "No. That doesn't sound familiar."

The disappointment on his face was evident and he replied, "Oh. Okay. Well, I'm sure they'll figure it out."

She knew that they never would. Dallas was too smart for that. He'd risked a lot in abducting her father, so his next few moves would be careful.

Wordlessly, Austin strode across the room and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug, which she readily returned.

"They'll find him," he whispered in her ear soothingly.

The sound of his voice and his reassurance only left her wanting to cry.

There she was, happier than she'd ever been with this boy who she'd only just met. This boy who made her laugh and smile and feel safe even though her life was in danger. This boy who would readily lay down his life for hers. This boy who was sweet and childish and talented and amazing. And she was in his arms, the only place she wanted to be.

She should've been happy.

But all she could think about was how she'd have to leave him.

**A/n: I got a lot of requests for Austin feels and they are coming up for sure. I just needed to get this chapter out there. I hope you guys like this chapter. And I've gotta say, reviews really motivate me to update. So let me know if you loved it or hated it or wish that I'd add something later or focus on something. Just review please! Love you guys!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Sorry for a slightly longer wait than usual. Thanks as always for the amazing reviews! I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally.**

Chapter 17

Almost instantly a plan began to form in Ally's mind.

She figured out how she'd escape and how she'd get in touch with Dallas. She even went as far as preparing what she was going to say to Dallas when she spoke to him. She gave herself a three day deadline.

She gave herself three days left with Austin.

The weight of the secret Austin was keeping showed very obviously.

He'd stopped training sessions and spend significantly more time on the phone with Dez. Sporadically, he'd probe her for information about Bunny, but each time she'd feign ignorance.

He also distanced himself even further from her, although Ally had a guess as to why and she didn't blame him. He clearly thought that when everything was said and done, she'd never want to be with him after figuring out that he'd been lying to her about her father. And if something happened to her father, he knew that she'd never forgive him.

His assumptions would probably have been right had she not overheard his conversation with Dez. She understood that he was trying to protect her and she was keeping a secret of her own, so who was she to judge?

Besides, had their roles been reversed, Ally wasn't sure she would have offered him up as bait. She probably would have kept him in the dark too.

Although, he tried to distance himself, Ally was trying even harder to get close to him while she could before she left to face Dallas. He only ever weakly resisted her efforts and she knew that that was because he wanted to get closer to her too. The kiss clearly demonstrated that.

Although, it made no reappearances in her last three days with him.

He made sure to be careful around her. He kissed her on the cheek or the forehead, but never on the lips. She half-expected him to address it, but he never did and she never asked. She didn't want their last few days together to be spent in a lustful haze. She wanted it to matter.

"Do you miss your parents?" Ally asked on the night before she planned to leave.

They'd been sitting on the couch very closely. He had his arm draped over her shoulder and she cuddled into his side. They'd sat in a thoughtful silence for most of the night before Ally decided to shatter it.

He flinched at the mention of parents, probably remembering the fact that her father was in captivity, but quickly answered, "Of course."

"Tell me about them," she quietly requested.

"Oh well, my mom is pretty cheerful most of the time and she's really outgoing. My dad's quieter, but he's pretty happy too. It's hard to figure out how he's feeling most of the time," he answered, his voice tinged in confusion. Ally imagined that if she'd been looking at his face, she'd have noticed his furrowed brow.

"Have you ever considered trying to talk to them about the distance you feel?"

It was a simple question, but he tensed almost imperceptibly.

"Why are you asking me about them?" he asked.

"Because all you ever do is make me feel better about my problems. I want to talk about yours for once," she replied. _Before I go_, she added silently.

"Uhm well it probably wouldn't solve anything," he answered.

"Well, maybe talking to them would. Sometimes you just need to address the elephant in the room to make it go away."

Her words were followed by a moment of silence and Ally assumed that he was thinking about what she said.

Finally, he said, "Well maybe it would make it feel like there's less space, but it wouldn't really fix anything. I'm constantly travelling and I'm just gone for weeks on end without warning. I barely see them as is and talking to them is sporadic at best. Maybe mentally there wouldn't be space, but physically there'd be tons of it. Fixing things might just make it worse."

"Why would it make it worse?"

"Because then they'd want more from me than I can give. They'd want to see me more and talk to me more. They'd expect more detail about my life. They'd ask about my job and my friends and my life in general. The distance is easier if I can pretend like seeing them would just be awkward. "

"But doesn't it hurt to think that your parents don't want to see you?"

He let out a cynical laugh and replied, "Not really. My line of work makes getting close to anyone difficult. Keeping people at arms' length is just easier."

"There must be someone you're close with?"

"We're close," he teased.

"We are but you just met me. Before you were close with me, you must have been close with someone," she retorted seriously.

She could feel him smile lightly at her acknowledgment that they were close before he answered, "Well I guess I'm close with Dez."

"What's he like?" Ally pushed, determined to learn everything she could about this boy.

"He's crazy. Like legitimately insane. He's so random and weird and awesome. He's the best friend anyone could ever ask for. We just instantly clicked for some reason when I transferred to his police department."

"What's he do?"

"He's like a genius with computers and technology. He's always tinkering with stuff and doing things. His official job is to search like internet history and surveillance videos and stuff like that, but he could take over the world if he wanted to."

Austin laughed and the sound made Ally happy. She was glad that he was happy.

He continued, "That's the one relationship I don't really ever try to sabotage. It's impossible to not love Dez and we work together so it's really easy to see him and talk to him. And we both just honestly trust each other, which is a big deal in my line of work. We work together a lot. He's the brains and I'm the brawn."

"He's smarter than _you_?" Ally asked incredulously.

"Well, I mean, not really, but he tells me where I need to go and what I need to do. He also fills me in on all of the info of the case or the bad guys. I usually go into tough situations with an earpiece on for him to give me directions. In our field, I guess he is kind of smarter than me because my kind of smarts isn't great in the moment, aside from strategy of course."

Ally nodded slowly and stated, "Your job is lonely."

"I know," he admitted, his voice low.

"Doesn't having to push people away bother you?"

"Of course it bothers me. I don't want to be like this!"

His outburst surprised Ally. She lifted her head from his shoulder to catch his eye. She was further surprised to see hurt in his eyes. It clearly bothered him a lot more than he let on.

Sighing, he continued, "I hate that I have to push people away. I hate that I have to hide everything I'm feeling all of the time. I hate that I can't ever let anyone in. But it's what I have to do. I have to be self-sufficient. I_ can't_ need anyone. People are supposed to rely on me to keep them safe. I can't do that if I need someone."

"No one can live like that," Ally whispered, her heart swelling in sympathy for this poor, lonely boy.

"I manage," he dismissed, shrugging like it didn't matter.

"You have to be able to rely on someone. We weren't meant to live without anyone," Ally argued.

"Well, maybe you weren't. I am. I'm too good at my job not to be," he answered, his voice thick with regret.

"Austin," Ally breathed, sitting up in her seat to face him. One look into his puppy dog eyes and whatever she had planned to say fled from her mind. Wordlessly, she pulled him forward into a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.

He hesitated for a beat before returning the hug.

Ally once again wished that she didn't have to leave him. She'd really come to need him. She'd never felt this strongly about anyone before and the idea of leaving him made her want to cry.

Before she could think about it, Ally whispered into his ear, "No matter what happens, I want you to know that you deserve better."

He pulled away from her to give her a look of confusion.

"Nothing is gonna happen, Ally. I'm going to keep you safe," he promised, misinterpreting her statement as one of fear.

She offered him a weak smile and nodded, trying to ignore the way her heart broke when she realized that she'd probably never see him again after tomorrow. Dallas would undoubtedly kill her, but that prospect didn't hurt nearly as much as the knowledge that she'd never look into those warm brown eyes again did.

_I'm in love with him_, she realized.

Once she admitted it to herself, it seemed obvious. Of course she was in love with him. He was Austin Moon. Anyone would be a fool not to be.

Although in this case, Ally was the fool.

She'd let herself love this boy. She'd let herself fall in love with all of his quirks and weird tendencies, as well as his charm and sense of humor. That made the idea of leaving him hurt much more.

Noticing her sad expression, Austin asked, "What's wrong?"

She was in love with someone she'd have to leave and she was going to die tomorrow. Meanwhile, her father was still being held captive by her ex-fiancée. There was so much that was wrong.

But she couldn't tell him any of that. So instead, she pulled him back into a hug and held on tight, trying to commit this moment to memory.

She'd need it later when Dallas was killing her.

**A/N: I hope that this was enough Austin sensitivity for you guys. Austin is a pretty strong guy, so I didn't really picture him crying on Ally's shoulder about his problems. I think it was pretty subtle sensitivity, which is just Austin for me. I love you guys so much. Please let me know what you think!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Sorry for the long-ish update wait. It's been a shitty week. Thank you to all of my lovely reviewers! I got like 30 reviews and it honestly just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I love you guys and I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally, but I do own what happens to them next in this story… :)**

Chapter 18

Ally took her time gathering the supplies she'd need for her escape.

She reasoned that if she gathered them all instantly then she'd be sure to get caught, but deep down she knew that if she didn't use her three days to gather them, she'd have no good reason to put off leaving.

Her plan was a tricky one. It relied entirely on her ability to surprise him and a great deal of luck. She knew that she'd never be able to out run him or fight him, not that she'd want to. She was also aware of the fact that if she simply snuck off, he'd be able to find her easily. He was the best, after all, and she was not.

She spent the entire day she was going to leave, searching for the perfect moment to enact her plan, but each time one came, she reasoned that something could go wrong and waited for another moment. Secretly, she hoped none would come. She was terrified and the last thing she wanted to do was run from the thing that made her feel safe into the arms of the very thing that terrified her.

But she had to. Her father was going to die if she didn't. And she wasn't sure she'd be able to live with herself if Dallas killed him.

Austin seemed to pick up on her nervousness, but he didn't address it. He watched her carefully, though, and Ally was thankful that she'd prepared everything beforehand for her escape.

She sighed from her bed. She'd locked herself in her room for the past hour, just trying to build up the courage to make her move. She was sprawled on the bed when she heard an almost tentative knock on the door.

"Can I come in?" Austin's voice called from the other side, sounding confused.

Ally wanted to answer no, but, eyeing the radiator next to her bed, she realized that this would be her moment. She got up from the bed and answered, "Give me a sec."

Scanning the room, she pulled on her boots and slipped a pair of handcuffs she'd pilfered from Austin's bag the day before while he'd been showering into her boot, praying that he wouldn't see them. She knew that he'd brought some because she'd seen him handcuff her attacker at their last hideout.

The cold metal dug into her skin and Ally wished for the millionth time that she didn't have to do this. Checking to make sure that her bag was hidden and packed, Ally thought, _I'm doing this for my dad._

Empowered slightly by the thought, she hesitantly opened the door to reveal a concerned Austin on the other side.

Ally stepped aside to offer him access to her and he stepped inside obligingly, standing in the center of her room awkwardly.

She offered him a weak smile and moved to sit on the edge of her bed nearest to the radiator before patting the spot next to her invitingly.

Her gesture seemed to confuse him more, but he plopped down next to her on the bed, his hand reaching out to cover hers instinctively.

Ally swallowed and fought the urge to sob into his arms.

"What's up?" she forced herself ask, hating the way her voice shook.

He cocked an eyebrow at her and replied, "You tell me."

"I-I don't know w-what you're talking a-about," she stuttered, her heart hammering in her chest.

Ally mentally cursed her nervous tendency to stutter.

He scrutinized her before retorting, "I think you do."

"Well, I don't. So you should just tell me," Ally answered slowly, pleased that she'd managed to speak without sounding like a guilty idiot.

He let out a sigh and asked, "Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't been avoiding you!" she denied, her voice a little too loud.

"Really? Because it's pretty hard to not see each other when we're the only two people here and yet, I haven't seen you since breakfast."

"That's true," she admitted, choosing her words carefully, "but I haven't been avoiding you. I've just been kind of out of it today."

It wasn't a lie. She was out of it. Terror and guilt will do that to a person.

"That's not all, Ally. You look like you're scared of something, which makes no sense because you have nothing to be afraid of."

Ally mentally cursed the way he read her like a book.

She couldn't think of a lie. She hadn't had much experience with lying to be honest and she'd never regretted it until that moment.

She watched as he grew more suspicious with her silence and did the best thing she could think of at a moment's notice.

She tackled him off of the bed.

Not the best plan, obviously, but Ally had a knack for panicking under pressure and well… she certainly panicked.

Austin let out a noise of surprise as his back hit the floor and before he had a moment to process what just happened, Ally was on top of him.

His face was a mask of confusion and surprise as Ally hovered over him with her knees on either side of his waist.

So far the impromptu plan was working.

Austin let out a startled laugh and began, "What are you-?"

Ally cut him off by pressing a kiss to his lips.

He was clearly surprised by her action, but not quite as surprised as Ally was. She hadn't planned on kissing him, but then again, the entire day hadn't been following the plan she'd carefully laid out. Besides, considering that she was going to be dying soon, a goodbye kiss certainly seemed adequate.

She felt him relax slightly and return the kiss and knew that it was time.

Her right hand felt around for his wrist while her left pulled the handcuffs out of her boot.

As quickly as she could manage, Ally clasped one end of the handcuffs to Austin's wrist and the other to the radiator.

Before he could react, Ally clamored off of him and backed away.

His eyes widened in shock and he exclaimed, "What the hell Ally?"

"I'm so sorry," Ally apologized, tears forming in her eyes as she watched him pull on the handcuff tentatively as if testing it.

"What are you doing?" he yelled, anger evident in his voice.

Ally reached beneath her bed and pulled out the shoulder bag that held an extra pair of handcuffs, her taser, and the note she'd written for Austin. Slowly, she placed the note on the bed and answered, "I have to save my father."

Austin's eyes widened in realization and he strained against the handcuff frantically.

"Ally please. Oh God, no. Don't go. Please, don't go," he begged, his arm reaching out towards her in a futile attempt to grab her. She sidestepped his hand with ease and was thankful that the training sessions had made her reflexes better.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again, turning to leave.

"Ally," he begged, "Please. He's going to kill you! Please, let me go and I'll fix it. Please!"

Ally turned to look at him again and felt the tears trickle down her face at the sight of him. He looked terrified for the first time since she'd met him. He was tugging desperately against the handcuffs to no avail, only pausing to maintain her gaze.

"I'm sorry," she apologized again, wishing that there was something better she could say to make up for what she was about to do.

He took a deep breath and calmly pleaded, "Please Ally. Don't do this. You know how I said that I didn't need anyone? Well, I lied. I need you. Please don't go to him. I'll get your father back. I don't know how, but I will. Please. I need you."

Desperation was clear in his eyes and it took every ounce of willpower Ally had to resist the urge she had to believe him.

And she really wanted to believe him.

But Dallas was too cunning. He was too ruthless. Ally couldn't take the chance of losing Austin too.

So, she grabbed her bag and ran, before he could try to talk her out of it even more.

She ran away from the only person who could save her and ran to the one person trying to kill her.

**A/N: Not sure how I feel about this chapter. If you love it then yay. Thank you. If you hate it, then I'm sorry. If I'm being honest, I was emotionally distraught while writing this and I don't know if I'm just being paranoid because I'm upset or I screwed the chapter up because I'm upset. I'm sorry. Please review and give me pointers or ideas or suggestions or whatever. I'll try to update soon. I love you guys.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I got some awesome reviews! Thanks guys! I know I just updated, but I'm still pretty upset and this makes me feel better so here goes nothing. I hope you like it! I know a lot of you don't like what Ally's doing because it does sound dumb, but she's just trying to protect the two guys who matter most to her and it plays into the story really well. No Austin for a few chapters. Sorry, but I do get to play with Dallas a little more which is fun. I hope this pleases you.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I owned Austin and Ally I'd be rolling in piles of money… not writing a fanfiction…**

Chapter 19

Ally was smart enough to not even bother with Austin's car.

She didn't doubt that he'd rigged it so that he'd be able to track it. She didn't want him to be able to find her when he got out of the handcuffs. Which he most definitely would. He was a genius after all. A flimsy pair of handcuffs would only hold him for a little while until he figured a way out of them.

Bypassing the car, Ally took off into a sprint towards the town. She'd noticed a bus service when they'd gone out and Ally was pleased that she had. It would certainly be of use to her.

She ran as quickly as she could in the direction of the nearby small town. When she got close, she glanced behind her to make sure she wasn't being followed before slowing her pace down. The last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself.

The town was bustling with activity. Apparently, there was a flea market in town that day, so citizens clustered around the group of booths.

A breeze lifted the hair off of Ally's neck and the sky held the threat of rain.

_It matches my mood_, Ally thought eyeing the bleak sky.

She frowned and scanned the town for the bus stop she'd noticed earlier. She spotted it slightly down the road and elbowed her way past the crowd just in time for a bus to pull up. She had no idea where it was going and she didn't need to. She paid the driver and quickly took a seat in the back.

She let out a sigh of relief as the town became smaller behind her. She thought she caught sight of a blond head moving through the crowd, but didn't dwell on it. Even if Austin did escape, he'd never be able to find her. He wouldn't be able to save her in time.

No one would be able to save her from what she was walking in to.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"End of the line."

The driver's voice had jarred Ally out of her musings. It was a welcome relief, actually. All she'd been able to think about was the look on Austin's face as she left. Although even this sad thought was better than any thoughts about what was to come.

Ally glanced around, surprised to find that she was the only one left on the bus. It had been a long ride, perhaps an hour or two, and she'd been distracted for most of it.

She headed to the front and paused next to the driver, asking, "Uhm where am I?"

"Small town called Sunnyville **(A/N: I don't if there is such a place, so forgive me.)**" he replied gruffly, making it clear that he wanted her to leave.

Murmuring a quick thanks, she obliged and scanned the area for a phone.

It was a small town. She noticed a small store called _Linda's_ and a pub called _McCuen's_. She figured that the houses must have been farther away or something, although it was hard to imagine someone living there. It seemed more like a place you stopped at if you had nowhere else to go.

_I'll fit right in_, Ally thought darkly.

She hesitantly walked into the store, blinking at the brightness of the lights. It must've been nighttime outside. She hadn't realized. In fact, there was very little that she'd paid attention to since leaving Austin. She felt like she was in a trance.

She walked up to the cashier, a young girl with an enthusiastic smile, and asked, "Is there a phone here I can use?"

"Uhm sorry no. If you need to make a call, you can borrow my cell phone though," she offered, smiling kindly.

"No thank you. It's personal and I'd rather not burden a stranger. Is there a public phone I can use somewhere in town?" she asked.

The girl smiled sympathetically and answered, "Not really. There's an inn not too far from here though and the owner is really nice. She might let you use a phone there."

After getting directions, Ally thanked the girl and sought out the inn. She came across a small, dingy building with a decrepit sign saying _The Rabbit Hole_ **(made that up to)**. Guessing that this was the inn, Ally entered hesitantly.

It was completely silent when she entered, with the exception of the light tingle of a bell that rang when she opened the door.

She heard frantic footsteps almost instantly as someone hurried over to her.

Ally slowly walked towards the front desk and waited for the owner to find her. A few seconds later, a small, elderly woman turned the corner and scurried behind the desk.

"Can I help you, sweetie?" she huffed, slightly out of breath from her rush. Ally guessed that she didn't get many customers.

"Uhm yes. I was wondering if there was a phone I could use? I don't have a lot of money but-"

The woman waved a hand dismissively and interrupted, "Don't be silly, dear. You can use the inn's phone." She lifted a landline from behind the desk onto the surface. She eyed Ally for a moment before adding, "You look like you need help, sweetie."

Ally offered her a pathetic smile in response. She did need help, but this woman wouldn't be able to help her. She left the only one who could have handcuffed to a radiator.

The woman nodded curtly and stated, "I'll give you some privacy. If you need to stay here for the night, I won't charge you, sweetie. I know this is a business, but I'm not about to kick some poor girl to the curb when she obviously needs help. Room 127 is right around the corner."

Ally's jaw dropped at the woman's kindness, but didn't get a chance to say thank you. The woman placed a room key on the counter before scurrying away quickly. The offer almost made Ally cry. So there were still good people out there. Wow.

Ally shook her head to clear her thoughts and dialed Dallas' assistant's number slowly, trying to postpone the inevitable. The phone began ringing and Ally waited, her heart sinking with each ring.

Finally, a sleepy female voice asked, "Hello? Elizabeth Johnson speaking. How can I help you?"

"Uhm hi. Can I speak to Dallas please?" Ally asked, hating the way her voice shook.

"Sorry, my boss is on his honeymoon at the moment. Can I take a message?"

Ally let out a sigh. Elizabeth must have been in on this whole thing. Quietly, Ally said, "Elizabeth, this is Ally Dawson. I would like to speak with my fiancée."

The word fiancée felt so wrong coming out of Ally's mouth.

She heard movement on the other end and waited patiently. Suddenly, Elizabeth squeaked, "Of course. Ms. Dawson. I'll patch you right through to him."

Ally refrained from saying thank you, although her upbringing made her feel like she should.

She waited in silence for a few moments before an unmistakable voice greeted her, "Well hello Ally-cat."

"Hello Dallas," she answered coldly.

She could almost _hear_ him smirking.

"I missed you, sweetie. Are you alone?"

She flinched at his endearment and answered, "Yes."

"Really? No bodyguard?"

Ally flinched again, uncomfortable with his casual mention of Austin.

At her hesitance, he added, "Or is he your boyfriend now?"

"He's not my boyfriend and he's not with me," she retorted harshly.

"How do I know that, sweetie? From the pictures I have, it looks like he cares for you. I doubt he'd just let you go. How do I know this isn't a trap?"

Ally felt immensely violated at the idea that Dallas had photos of her and Austin.

"Because I'm not stupid. I know that you're cunning and cruel and smart. You wouldn't let yourself be caught in a trap," she answered honestly.

He tutted her on the other end and replied, "I need more than that."

"I can't exactly prove it to you, Dallas. What do you want from me?"

"Give me something that will convince me," he pushed, his voice amused.

"I," she hesitated, hating the tears that threatened to fall, "I love him. I don't want him to get hurt and I know that if he was here with me he'd get hurt."

Dallas didn't reply instantly, so Ally added, "I just want the people I love to be safe, Dallas. I'm tired of this game."

"Very well," he concluded, his voice lacking the teasing note he'd held for the entire conversation, "I believe you. Here's the deal, Ally-cat. I let your daddy free and you come to me, no cops, and let me play with you."

Ally felt sickened at his suggestion to play with her.

"How do I know that you'll release him?" she asked, gnawing on her bottom lip nervously.

"I'll have one of my men drop him off at the police station. It'll surely be all over the news. Check the news and then come to one of my safe houses," he answered easily, sounding bored.

"How do I get to the safe house? I don't know where I am or how I'd get there," she argued, looking for any reason not to go.

"I know where you are. I could probably just come and get you now, but I'd like to think I'm an honest man," Ally had to stop herself from snorting, "so I'll let Mr. Dawson go. You'll see it on the news and go to uhm," he paused, "_McCuen's_ to wait for one of my men. He'll pick you up there tomorrow at noon. Deal?"

Ally hesitated. He could easily just abduct her at this point, since she'd given away her location, so the only choice she really had was to do it his way and save her father or try to escape and essentially sign his death certificate.

"Deal," she agreed, sadly.

"Excellent. But I have to say Ally," he warned, "If my man finds any cops or bugs or anything there, I'll abduct your father and your sister. I'll kill your father instantly and use your sister as my leverage."

"Understood," Ally gulped, forcing herself not to vomit.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow, sweetie."

Dallas hung up the phone and Ally held it to her ear for a moment, listening to the sound of the dial tone. She expected to feel fear or sadness or terror or maybe even relief, but instead she just felt exhausted. She was ready for this to be over.

Sighing again, she grabbed her room key and trudged to room 127.

If she was going to die tomorrow, she might as well be well-rested.

**A/N: Thanks for the amazing reviews. I hope this chapter was pleasing to you guys. Try to ignore the very convenient old lady. I didn't really feel like making where she was going to stay that night a big deal, so yeah. Please review! I need feedback! Critiques, ideas, suggestions, hate, etc. I want it all to gauge how you guys feel about this. I'll try to update soon. I love you guys!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thank you for all of the lovely reviews! I adore you all! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint because things are going to get interesting. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally. All I own is my creativity.**

**THIS JUST IN: Creativity does not pay the bills. Owning Austin and Ally probably would.**

Chapter 20

The first thing Ally did when she woke up was turn on the news from the tiny television in the room she was staying in.

After scouring the news channels, she finally found one that was running a story about a missing man who'd been mysteriously dropped off at the police station that morning. The man's name was Lester Dawson.

Her father's face filled the screen and Ally allowed herself the luxury of watching his statement on the matter.

His eyes were wild and he was merely a ghost of her father. He'd lost weight and he was paler. The dark circles under his eyes told the story that he hadn't slept since she left. How long had it been? A month? Two? Time seemed to freeze when she was with Austin and now that she wasn't it was catching up with her.

When asked what he knew about his abductor, her father exclaimed, "He wants my daughter! Someone has to help her! She's going to him! Someone stop her!"

Ally turned off the TV instantly, her hands shaking and her eyes watering. She hadn't expected to see her usually cold, distant father so emotional on the screen. He seemed scared for her, as he should be. Either Dallas told him about their little arrangement or he guessed it on his own. Either way, he knew that there was no hope for her, which explained the desperation in his eyes.

Ally absentmindedly hoped that Austin hadn't been watching the interview. He didn't need a reminder of what she'd done.

Glancing at the digital clock next to the small single bed, Ally learned that it was 11 o'clock in the morning. She had an hour to get ready and arrive at _McCuen's_ to meet Dallas' man.

She sighed and ran a hand down her tired face, reluctant to get ready for her death.

Begrudgingly, she yanked on her boots and straightened out the clothes she'd slept in. She used the complementary toothbrush and toothpaste to brush her teeth and pulled her unruly hair into a ponytail using the rubber band Austin gave to her at his apartment.

She wrapped his scarf around her still slightly bruised neck and pulled her bag over her shoulder. Quickly, she slipped her taser into her shoe with the hope that she wouldn't be searched. It was a last-ditch effort at survival, but it wouldn't hurt her in the long run. Unless she managed to taser herself that is.

She tiptoed out of her room as quietly as possible so as not to awaken her host. Her picture was probably in circulation and she didn't need to be found by the police. She was in too deep to be pulled out now. Finding the lobby empty, she hurriedly placed a couple of twenties on the front desk before scurrying out of the inn.

She hazily remembered her path to the small town from the night before and did her best to follow it. After only getting mixed up a few times, Ally finally located _McCuen's_. She stood outside for a moment, just eyeing the place that would mark certain death for her and, for a wistful moment, reminisced on her fond memories. She wouldn't have time to do it with Dallas, because she'd be too busy trying to find a way to end him.

If she was going down, he was going down with her.

Since jail was no longer an option, she'd be forced to kill him, a prospect she didn't look forward to. It made her uncomfortable, but she wanted to leave the world a slightly better place before she left it, and taking that psychopath off it would certainly do the trick.

Slowly, she entered _McCuen's_ and found herself a seat at the bar, surprised that it was even open this early. It was practically empty aside from the bartender, a young man in his late twenties who appeared to be exhausted.

He cocked an eyebrow at her when she arrived, but said nothing as he handed her a menu.

She nodded her thanks to him, too nervous to speak, and pretended to read the menu while waiting. In reality, her eyes often found their way back to the clock hanging on the wall. She watched the second hand make its rotation and couldn't help but feel it was counting her remaining hours.

She shuddered when she heard the door open behind her, but didn't turn to face the men who would surely be Dallas'.

They approached her slowly and she felt one of them tug on her wrist softly, to alert her of their presence and to silently ask her to follow.

She complied, placing the last of her money on the bar before following the two large men to a black car. They wore black muscle tees, jeans, and sunglasses. Their attire gave Ally the urge to advise them not to dress like hired henchmen next time.

The tallest man, a rather average looking fellow who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, took her bag from her before opening the car door in the back and gesturing for her to enter.

The slightly shorter man, who had a handsome face that had clearly broken many hearts, tied a blindfold over her eyes, immersing her in darkness.

She allowed herself to be helped into the car by one of the two men and felt herself be strapped into the seat.

She expected to feel panic or fear at the events that transpired, but all she felt was a sick sense of calmness. Her heart didn't hammer. Her pulse didn't race. Her breathing didn't become uneven. She simply remained focused and relaxed as these two strange men drove her to her death.

She, Ally Dawson, was going to be murdered by her ex-fiancée. And that was okay.

Because she wasn't going down without a fight.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When the car came to a stop slowly, Ally knew that it was time.

She remained perfectly still and waited for one of the men to escort her to Dallas, not fearing the future.

It had been a long car ride, nearly 5 hours by Ally's estimation (being blindfolded gave her time to think), and Ally's muscles were stiff when she finally stood. She paused to stretch, but only for a moment as she felt the tip of a gun pressed to her back.

"Keep moving," a gruff voice commanded.

"It's hard to move when I can't see," she snapped, feeling a rise of irritation at his tone. He sounded like she was merely an inconvenience to him and that angered her. He had basically abducted her and _she_ was the inconvenience?

He grunted and wrapped his large hand around her slender elbow, tugging her forward roughly. He was clearly impatient to get this dealt with. She stumbled along behind him, struggling to match his quick pace while blind.

She felt herself being brought into a building and guided upstairs. Suddenly, she was shoved into a room. The door slammed behind her loudly and she heard the light click of a lock.

She instantly undid her blindfold to find herself in a dark room. Blinking a few times to adjust to the darkness, Ally tried to scan her surroundings, but there wasn't much to take in. She was in a completely empty room. The only light came from a window in the corner, but it was dark outside, so that didn't offer much help.

She suddenly heard a voice that made her heart stop and a figure stepped out from the shadows calmly.

"Hello, Ally. You've come to play I see," the voice said teasingly.

It was Dallas.

**A/N: This was a bit of filler, but she's got to get from point A to point B somehow. Next chapter will be more exciting I swear. I wanted to build up the suspense a bit more. I hope you guys liked this chapter! Please review! I love suggestions, ideas, criticisms, praise, and even hate. If I'm doing something wrong I need to know so that I can remedy the situation. If I'm doing something right, that's good to hear too so that I can better understand what you guys want. I love you guys!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thank you again for all of the amazing reviews! I adore you guys! To people who made requests/ suggestions: I'm not ignoring you. You might see your requests fulfilled in a later chapter. My best advice is: if you want to see it, bug me about it and I'll get the hint. Anywho, I've stalled long enough. Hope you guys like this!**

**Warning: I got an okay on the cursing overall, so I'm going to use some bad words. Not a lot, I swear. Just a warning.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally. When my plot for world domination succeeds though, I will be. :)**

Chapter 21

Ally tensed in anticipation.

Hearing his voice on the phone was one thing, but being in the same room with him again was absolutely terrifying. She'd let herself forget the cruelty of his eyes.

"Well aren't you going to give me a kiss, sweetie? It's been nearly a month," Dallas teased, his mouth curling in to a satisfied smile.

His face appeared relaxed and his displayed his confidence. His legs were spread apart as he stood before her, hands crossed over chest. He wore a suit, complete with jacket and tie, as if they were going to a party.

Leave it to Dallas to treat her murder so casually.

"Fuck you," Ally hissed, feeling her fear turn into disgust at the idea of kissing this psychopath.

"Would you like to?" he taunted, a boyish smile spreading across his face. If it had been any other scenario, Ally would have rolled her eyes and smacked his arm.

But it wasn't, so she fought the urge to vomit and snapped, "You'll have to kill me if that's what you want."

He smirked at her and replied, "I have a way of getting what I want. Now," he pulled a gun out of his waistband and aimed it at her, "How about that kiss?"

She snorted and retorted, "You might as well just shoot me then."

Briefly, surprise and confusion flashed in his eyes. This time it was Ally's turn to smirk as she explained, "I'm not as dumb as I look, _honey_," she practically sneered the last word, "I know the endgame here and I'm not going to be manipulated into doing whatever you want just with the hope that I get to live. That's not how this is going to go."

He looked almost impressed for a moment before his expression reverted back to one of confidence.

He offered her a lazy smile and said, "My, my, Ally-cat. Looks like the Wizard of Oz gave someone their courage. Good for you and you make a valid point. You won't be surviving this encounter," he paused to gauge her reaction and she made sure to maintain a calm exterior. She wasn't exactly surprised. When she didn't react, he continued, "So let's play it this way, sweetie. You do what I say and I don't shoot your bodyguard boyfriend."

He tucked the gun back into the waistband of his suit pants and cocked an eyebrow at her, taking a moment to enjoy her startled expression.

"H-how do I know you won't shoot him anyway?" Ally asked, struggling to remain calm.

"You don't," he droned, his voice suddenly sounding bored, "But there's a better chance I won't if you play nice."

Ally weighed her options in her head. She still planned to kill him, so there was the possibility that he wouldn't be able to hurt Austin. Even if he did try, Austin could certainly handle himself. He'd proven that. Besides, if she complied and didn't manage to kill him, there'd be nothing stopping him from killing Austin anyway.

But there was a small voice in the back of her head that fought to protect Austin at all costs.

"What do you want?" she asked, not even bothering to veil her hostility.

"It seems like you're bravery has its limits then," he taunted, his mood once again switching to smug. He was all over the place.

She rolled her eyes and grit her teeth, waiting for him to say something.

"Come here, dearest," he ordered, opening his arms in what was supposed to be a welcoming gesture. It only served to menace her even further.

She begrudgingly walked towards him into his arms, hating herself a little more with each step. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her snugly against his chest. She kept her hands pressed against his chest in case she needed to push him away.

He whispered harshly in her ear, "Hug me back," and she stoop on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck. He was tall. Slightly shorter than Austin, but practically a foot taller than her.

He tightened his grip around her waist and lifted her slightly off her feet. Keeping her pinned to his chest with only one of his arms, he used the other to lift her right leg slightly and to reach into her boot quickly.

She struggled against him and was about to ask what he was doing when he set her down and waved her taser in front of her face.

"I know you better than you think I do, sweetie," he hissed, tossing the weapon to the side.

His hand moved from her waist and grabbed the back of her head, yanking on it painfully.

Ally let out a yelp of pain and realized with a start that this was where it began. He was done toying with her. It was time to do some damage.

He tossed her across the room like she was nothing. Ally felt her back slam against something hard, which she assumed was the wall, and fell to the ground. Before she could scramble to her feet, she felt a hand pull her up to her feet by her hair and bring a knee to her stomach.

Dallas shoved her into a wall, an almost feral look on his face, and reached for her again.

That put her body into overdrive.

The part of her brain that felt pain shut down temporarily as Ally prepared to fight back. She used the move Austin had taught her to grab his wrist, pull him to the right, and then pull him to the left, making him lose his footing. With as much strength as she could manage, she shoved him backwards off of his feet.

She knew she only had a second or two to make her move, so she instantly charged for where he'd tossed her taser. Maybe she'd be able to stun him and steal his gun to shoot him with.

Her hope was dashed when she felt a strong hand wrap around her ankle and yank her to the ground.

Before she could hope to get away, she was flipped onto her back and Dallas was on top of her with his knees pinning her to the ground. He captured both of her hands in his one, rather large hand and held them above her head. She squirmed underneath him, but to no avail.

_He's going to kill me_, Ally thought sadly.

No more clever tricks. No more stalling. No more hope.

She was hopeless.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Dallas growled, his hand moving to pull something out of his back pocket. When his hand came back with a rather sharp knife, any hope Ally had of a quick and painless death also died.

He ran the knife down her cheek, not applying enough pressure to break skin, but succeeding in terrifying her.

"I wonder how much blood you can lose before you die," he mused, applying the enough pressure to give her a small scratch just above her eye. She felt blood begin to trickle down the side of her face and tried to quash the fear that was growing in the pit of her stomach.

"Fine. Kill me, Dallas. It won't matter," she spat angrily, hating every cell in his body.

His eyebrows rose, showing some amusement, as he asked, "How so?"

"Your slip-up with me was just the beginning. You're losing it. You've had it too good for too long and it's time for you to pay. Maybe I won't be the one to bring you down, but somebody will. You won't win here."

"And who's going to bring me down? Your little boyfriend? I was under the impression that you left the bodyguard chained in a basement somewhere. How's he going to stop me if he can't even save you?" Dallas asked sarcastically, enjoying the way she tensed at mention of Austin.

His question didn't call for an answer. One came from a familiar voice at the doorway nonetheless.

"Well, luckily for her, the bodyguard can pick locks."

**A/N: Can anyone guess who's at the door? It's pretty obvious. I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter. Let's hope nothing happens to our young heroes. We'll see with the next update. :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I got some truly amazing reviews. I was originally going to give myself a break with this chapter, but I got a bunch of people threatening to die if I didn't update and L.B threatened to never read another fanfiction again… and we can't have that. This just goes to show you the power reviews have over my updating speed. ;) Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally. I barely even own this story. It's kind of taken on a life of its own.**

**Warning: Some cursing.**

Chapter 22

Austin was like a vision of perfection from Ally's view from the floor underneath her psychotic ex-boyfriend.

His blond hair was wild and it stuck up at random ends, like he'd spent many days pulling at it in frustration. He wore the same jeans, white V-neck t-shirt, and blue flannel overshirt she'd left him in, but it had dirt and a little blood staining it this time. She couldn't help but notice the slightly bloody, bruise circling his wrist, obviously from his struggles against the handcuff. His face was as handsome as ever, though, despite the light dark circles under his eyes.

Anyone else would think that Austin was in bad shape, but Ally had never seen him so prepared.

She observed his tensed muscles which were coiled for action. His eyes were focused on Dallas and hard, a clear indicator that he was angry. They briefly flickered to her, bleeding and bruised on the ground, before finding their way back to Dallas. His mouth curled into a relaxed smile that hid any signs of anxiety he might be feeling.

Oh yeah. He also had a gun outstretched before him.

"You have the right to remain silent," Austin began calmly.

Dallas stood, yanking Ally by her hair to stand with him and pressed her back to his chest.

"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," Austin continued, his eyes staying on Dallas.

Ally felt a knife press to her throat harshly enough to draw blood.

"You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you."

"I'll kill her, bodyguard," Dallas threatened.

Austin didn't look affected by his threat and continued, "If you decide to answer any questions now, without an attorney present, you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Do you understand these rights?"

"I understand that this bitch is going to die unless you drop your gun," Dallas stated harshly, applying more pressure to her neck.

Austin tutted at Dallas and replied, "No manners in this one. I can't see why you even went for him, Ally."

Ally was surprised that he'd addressed her and had taken everything so calmly. She could tell by death grip he had on the gun before him that he was anything but calm, so she hoped that he had a plan that wouldn't get him killed.

"Because Ally likes a real man," Dallas quipped, regaining some of his composure.

"Exactly," Austin agreed, "So why'd she ever go for you?"

"I'm more of a man than you will ever be," Dallas hissed, tightening his grip on her painfully. He was angry, now.

"Really? Is that why you only attack people smaller than you?"

Dallas didn't reply and it was clear that it was because he lacked an adequate response. Ally could sense that Austin had seemingly hit the nail on the head, and she was curious to see where he was going with this.

"I mean," Austin continued, "If you think about it, most of your victims were women who were much smaller than you. The men you killed were drunk, middle-aged, or drugged before you attacked them. In fact, you drugged nearly all of your victims," his eyes found hers, "except Ally, of course. But even she is a foot shorter than you and lacking in any substantial muscle."

"I'm not stupid. Taking someone larger is a risk. It's not like I'm scared," Dallas replied coolly.

"I'm sure that's why you have so many hired help and have to send bigger men to do your work for you. If you're really not scared," Austin paused, taking a moment to assess Ally before continuing, "then why don't you put Ally down and fight with someone your own size?"

Ally struggled against Dallas' arms at the suggestion and screamed, "No!"

"Shut up, sweetie," Dallas whispered maliciously in her ear before turning back to Austin and answering, "I'm not stupid, bodyguard. I'm going to stay right here with my fiancée safely in my arms."

Austin let out a loud laugh and mocked, "Well shit, no wonder Ally likes me so much. Meeting a _real_ man after dating you must have come as quite a shock to her."

"Ally, darling, I'm really starting to question your taste. You love _him_? I suppose you just used him as a substitute for the real thing, but even _you_ could do better than this loser," Dallas jeered.

Ally had never told Austin that she loved him, so she noticed the brief shock that crossed his features before he became calm again. Clearly, he hadn't known.

Dallas had noticed the shock, too. So, tauntingly he bellowed, "Oh, she hasn't told you then. Well, she told me. It's why she refused to get you involved. Our little Ally-cat is in love with you."

Austin took a moment to gather his words before responding calmly, "Well of course she was. After being with you, a real man like me must've been so surprising. I mean we all know that you're not one. Right, Ally?"

"Uhm," Ally scanned Austin's eyes for an endgame scenario before responding weakly, "Yes."

"I will kill you," Dallas threatened, his calm façade beginning to crumble.

"Sure you will. And then Ally Dawson will die wondering what you could possibly be if you're not a man," Austin taunted.

Dallas didn't reply instantly, so Austin added, "Which I suppose makes all of this," he gestured to the room, "Pointless. Didn't you do this to prove that you're a man? You've thrown your life away for nothing, then."

There was a moment where nobody said anything. The tension in the room was electrifying and Ally could tell that a lot depended on what would happen next.

"Here are the rules for our fight," Dallas began.

Ally let out a horrified scream and yelled, "Please! No!"

Dallas leaned forward and bit her shoulder, causing her to yelp in pain, and whispered, "Shut up or I'll gut you and kill your entire family."

Ally winced as her shoulder throbbed in pain. She couldn't believe he'd bit her. And not a love bite either, like clamped down, cannibal-style bite, leaving teeth marks in her shoulder which was gushing blood and in intense pain.

"Tell me the rules," Austin insisted, his voice slightly uneasy as he watched her bleed.

Dallas shot Austin an irritated look before replying, "No weapons. No tricks. Winner gets to live and play with Ally."

Austin's eyes once again found hers, which were pleading with him to run while he still could. His face softened only slightly before becoming resolute.

"I have only one condition," Austin began.

"What would that be? I'm not setting her free, if that's what you want."

Austin shook his head and replied, "Let me have a minute to talk to her before we start."

Dallas pondered his request for a moment before shrugging and conceding, "I don't care. Sure."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dallas had Austin empty his pockets of any weapons and set them against the wall across the room from Ally. He locked the door and placed all of his weapons down as well.

"You have a minute," Dallas commanded, shooting Austin a firm look.

Austin nodded before rushing over to Ally, who was on the floor leaning against the wall.

When he reached her he crouched down and placed a hand against her cheek. She leaned into his touch, before insisting, "Please, go. Don't do this. Just leave."

He smiled lightly at her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, before answering with a simple, "No."

Ally felt tears prick her eyes as she looked at this boy. He was willing to die for her and that scared her. She wouldn't be able to handle losing him.

"I'm so sorry," Ally whispered, hating how fragile she sounded.

"I know."

He seemed completely calm in the face of possible death and Ally hoped that this would be a fight he would not lose.

"I love you," she added, wanting him to hear it from her directly.

"I know that too," he responded, his voice still calm and his eyes still soft, "But I'm not going to say it back. That feels too much like goodbye."

He pulled Ally into a hug before whispering in her ear, "If anything goes wrong, get out of here. Make sure that son of a bitch goes to jail."

Ally nodded numbly, feeling terrified that something would go wrong. She wasn't sure how she'd survive if something did. He pressed something solid into her hand and whispered, "Wait until he's not looking before pulling away from her. He gave her one last look before turning to face Dallas.

Before turning to face her nightmare.

**A/N: I hope this satisfies you. I really like this chapter. It's one of my favorites actually. I hope you like it too! Review! Because reviews make me update!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: The amount of reviews I got from people threatening to die if I didn't update is a smidge disconcerting. I'm gonna just assume no one meant that literally and be flattered! So thank you all for so many amazing reviews! I'm so lucky to have such amazing readers! I actually got to like legit chat with a couple readers the other day and they were awesome. It was super cool to talk to people who'd actually read my stuff. I know this is going to sound corny, but I feel pretty close with you guys already because you've read what I write. The things I write are typically pretty personal in that they matter a lot to me, so thanks to all my readers. If anyone ever wants to chat with me, that's cool. I try to reply to some reviews and stuff usually, but seriously if you do that'd be awesome. Also, you guys would be so proud of me because I listened to my first R5 song the other day. It was really good actually. I was worried they'd suck, but I was pleasantly surprised. Alright, enough of my chitchat, on with the story. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally or anything or anything mentioned in this chapter.**

Chapter 23

Ally didn't dare examine the item Austin had slipped her until Dallas was thoroughly distracted.

Austin stood across from Dallas, his face set in grim determination. Dallas, forever the psychopath, gave Ally a cocky smile and a wink before turning to Austin and taunting, "When you're dead, she's all mine to play with."

His words made Ally shudder at their implication. She wasn't entirely sure what he had planned to do with the knife from earlier, but she could guess it wouldn't be pleasant.

Austin's demeanor tensed even further. He looked even angrier at Dallas' proclamation.

"Let's just start," he hissed, hatred seeping through every pore of his body.

Dallas spread his arms wide in an inviting gesture and lifted his eyebrows to signal to Austin that he was ready to be attacked. Austin rolled his eyes and mimicked the gesture, determined not to be the one to attack first. Austin told her to never attack someone first when you had more skill than they did. Always make them come to you.

Irritation clouded Dallas' features as he lunged forward obligingly. Austin neatly sidestepped him, leaving Dallas sprawled on the ground. Not one to be defeated, Dallas was back on his feet before Austin could even begin to consider a counter attack, although, from what Ally had gathered about Austin's fighting style, it didn't appear that he thought much while he fought. He'd told her once that he liked to remain focused in the moment when he fought.

Dallas thought even less than Austin did, as his actions seemed to be fueled by rage and frustration.

He kept swinging at Austin, becoming wilder and less on balance with each miss. Austin occasionally landed a strong blow, but the effort Dallas was putting into this fight was the one taking its toll on him.

He was panting and sweating lightly when he finally had the good sense to calm down and fight rationally.

Ally took the opportunity to examine what it was that Austin gave her.

His cellphone. He'd given her his cellphone.

Without having to think twice about it, she scanned through the contacts for Dez's name, turning away from the two fighting men in order to hide her actions.

On the first ring, Dez answered and exclaimed, "Where the hell are you, Austin? Where is Ally? What's happening? You can't just tell me she's missing, ask me to trace a number, and then disappear. That's not cool!"

"Dez," Ally whispered, "It's Ally."

She heard Dez suck in a breath before asking, "What's happening? Is Austin ok?"

"He's fine for now. He's fighting Dallas. I need you to send police. Please. As fast as you can. I don't know where I am, so-"

"I've got you tracked and police are on their way," Dez interrupted, his voice sounding scared.

"The place is surrounded by guards, Dez. I don't know how Austin got past them, but they're here and-"

"Leave it to the bodyguard to cheat," Dallas' voice boomed, causing Ally to drop the phone in shock.

She looked up to find Dallas pointing a gun at Austin, who'd positioned himself in front of Ally.

Dallas was breathing heavily and his eyes looked wild as he watched the two of them. Austin didn't look like he broken a sweat, but Ally noticed a cut on his cheek. Clearly Dallas had managed to land a blow.

"Who'd you call, Ally-cat?" Dallas asked, his voice sounding exasperated.

"I-I-" Ally stammered, finding herself unable to form words.

"She called the police. They're on their way. The game is over, Dallas," Austin replied confidently.

"Wow," Dallas murmured, "She's dumber than I thought. You know that I have to shoot you know, right?"

As if on cue, Ally heard the distant sound of approaching sirens. Dez worked fast. Ally was pretty impressed.

Dallas seemed to hear them too, since he took a minute to look out the window. Ally's mind began to panic. It scrambled for any way to delay the inevitable. On pure instinct, she grabbed Austin's phone and hurled it at Dallas with as much force as she could manage.

It hit Dallas in the head, bouncing off harmlessly, but it succeeded in distracting Dallas enough for Austin to lunge forward and attempt to wrestle the gun from his hands.

She heard the gun go off once and let out a scream of equal parts surprise and terror. Neither boy stopped fighting though, so Ally took that as a good sign.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ally saw her taser lying uselessly on the ground.

She heard the gun go off a second time and scrambled to pick the weapon up. Without giving herself a second to think about it, Ally charged towards the two boys and came up behind Dallas. Ally turned on the taser and stuck it against Dallas' back.

He stiffened and dropped the gun instantly, as the shocks stunned him. Austin picked up the gun and took a step away from the murderer, who'd become paralyzed.

Ally leaned forward and whispered into Dallas' ear, "This is for my family," she dug the taser deeper into his back.

"This is for Austin," she kicked his knee caps, forcing him to his knees.

"This is for those people you killed," she pressed her knee to his back, being careful to avoid the taser, and forced him onto his stomach.

"And this is for me," she delivered a kick to his face with as much force as she possessed. Instantly blood began spurting from his nose forming a pool on the floor.

The Taser's charge ended and Austin quickly shoved Dallas' hands behind his back. Pulling a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket, Austin latched them onto Dallas' wrists.

When Austin was done restraining the still stunned Dallas, he stood and gave her a once over, with concerned eyes.

They locked eyes and she was able to maintain that contact for a moment before launching herself at him and dissolving into sobs.

Austin wrapped his arms around her waist and her against him firmly, using one of his hands to rub soothing circles into her back. She felt the full weight of all that had happened begin to crush her.

Her body began to ache from the places he'd hit her and she just felt tired. She felt exhausted.

"Shh… It's okay. It's all over now," Austin whispered, keeping his eyes on the stunned body below him and his attention on the sobbing girl in his arms.

"You're safe. It's all over now," he stated again, his voice slightly hoarse.

Distantly, Ally heard sirens blare again, but she didn't bother focusing on anything, but this boy. She sobbed into his chest and prayed that his words were right.

She prayed that it was all truly over.

**A/N: Hahahahaha I bet you think that's the end. You'd be wrong. I've got a little bit more planned for this story. The next two chapters will be Austin's point of view I think, and you'll probably see why when they're up. I totally have something else planned though, so don't give up on this story. Please review! Reviews make me update really quickly! I love ideas, suggestions, requests, criticisms, or anything else you have to say. Also, since you're all reading my story, if you wanted me to read yours I totally would be up for that. I can't guarantee I will if I'm not a member of that fandom, but you never know. Just putting that out there. Anywho, please review! (Hehe that rhymed) I love you all!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Again, I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve. The next two chapters after this one I think will be in Austin's POV and you'll see why once I write them. I've gotten a handful of requests for an Austin POV anyway so this is good. I'm thinking like 5 or 6 more chapters in this story maybe. I have a plan for another Auslly story which I've already begun. I'm pretty excited about it, so if you want to read that, then subscribe to me. I'll post a summary on the last chapter. I won't be doing sequels or an epilogue to this story. When it's finished, I won't need one I think. Anywho, thanks to all of those who reviewed my last chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Literally nothing. So don't sue me.**

Chapter 24

The next few moments happened in a haze for Ally.

Police officers entered the house and Austin explained to them the situation, showing them his badge and giving them a number to call to verify. The attractive male officer nodded obligingly and left to do just that, leaving a pretty female officer behind. She asked about the guys out front.

Austin kept Ally close to his side as he answered, "Some of Dallas' hired help. I had to knock them out before I could get to them."

"Why would the infamous Dallas that we've been searching for ask his ex-fiancée _and_ a police officer to come find him?" she asked, scrutinizing Ally as if she was the thing that didn't make sense.

Ally buried her head deeper into Austin's side and she felt him tighten his grip around her. Out of the corner of her eye, Ally saw an officer drag Dallas downstairs.

"He didn't," Austin replied irritably, "He left a clue for Ally to come find him, so she handcuffed me to a radiator and left."

"Why are you here then?" the officer asked, not missing a beat.

"Because I'm supposed to protect her," Austin quipped, in a 'duh' voice.

The officer offered them a tense smile and rephrased her question.

"How are you here then?"

Austin frowned and answered, "I picked the lock with a spring from the mattress of her bed and then followed the bus route that Ally was on. I called Dez to ask if anyone in connection with Dallas had been called and he told me that his personal assistant had been. Dez traced the call to small inn and then traced the assistant's phone. She'd transferred Ally to a cell phone here, so I came here."

The officer nodded, looking mildly impressed by Austin, before stating, "You must be quite good at what you do then."

"I'm the best."

The officer nodded and opened her mouth to ask more questions, but was interrupted by the male officer from before.

"Their story checks out. This guy is Austin Moon, the founder of that program they're trying to start in our department," the man said, sounding slightly out of breath.

The female officer's jaw dropped for a second before she shut and it and instantly attempted to gain her composure, although her cheeks grew slightly red and her eyes shined with an admiration that hadn't been there before. Ally tried to quash the small feeling of jealousy that bloomed in her chest. She had no reason to be jealous. Austin was paying her no attention and he'd made his feelings for her clear.

But still.

"I'm sorry for the interrogation then. Word of your reputation precedes you," the woman gushed, becoming instantly less stony and suspicious.

Austin nodded brusquely and asked, "Are there doctors outside?"

"Are you hurt?" the female officer inquired, her voice slightly more concerned than it should've been. Clearly, Ally had been forgotten.

"No, of course not," he bristled, sounding almost irritated at her concern, "Ally was being attacked by Dallas before I got here. She'll need someone to take a look at her."

Ally opened her mouth to insist that she was fine, but was silenced with a hard look from Austin.

"I'd feel better if she was looked at," he added, his tone leaving no room for argument. His concern for her made her slightly dizzy, although that could've very well been a minor side effect of blood loss.

The woman officer eyed Ally carefully and then looked back up to Austin before nodding briskly.

"Follow me," she commanded, leaving the room without looking back to make sure they were following. The male officer followed after her, clearly the subservient of the two. They were momentarily alone.

Ally began to follow after her, when she felt Austin tug at her wrist gently and spin her around to face him.

Her eyes widened in surprise as his fingers moved to probe her face gently. She flinched, but otherwise dared not move. His gaze was steady and intense as he studied her face. Then without warning, he leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

It was gentle, and short in comparison to their other kisses, but she could feel him relax slightly at the contact.

He pulled away too quickly before engulfing her in a large hug, which Ally happily returned.

"I thought you'd be dead when I got here," he whispered softly into her ear. His voice wavered slightly, which to anyone else would have aroused only mild concern. But Ally knew that any weakening in his strong façade was meaningful. He was really upset.

"I'm okay. You saved me," she whispered into his ear, both knowing it was what he needed to hear and meaning it.

He let out a humorless laugh and pulled away from their embrace. He eyed her carefully, his eyes lightening up slightly.

"Sometimes, Ms. Dawson," he whispered, a small smile appearing on his lips, "I think that you're the one who saved me."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ally's head was still buzzing from his earlier words.

The sincerity with which he said them still made her face heat up. She sat at the edge of the back of an ambulance with a paramedic scanning her. She tried to pay attention to what he said, but she kept finding her eyes glued on the man a standing a few feet away from her speaking to a group of police officers.

A doctor was cleaning his cheek as he spoke with them. His terse expression changed into a light smile as the officers spoke to him animatedly about something she couldn't hear.

As if feeling her stare, Austin looked over at her, their eyes locking instantly.

He moved toward her instantly, bringing a smile to her face as he approached. His expression softened into a smile as well.

When he reached her, he immediately asked the doctor, "How is she?"

"I'm fine," Ally muttered, pouting slightly at all of the fuss being made over a few cuts and bruises.

His smile widened and her childish expression and he rolled his eyes playfully before focusing back on the doctor.

The doctor hesitated before replying, "She's fine," she paused hesitantly before adding, "For the most part."

Austin's relaxed expression faded instantaneously as he waited for her elaborate.

Obligingly, the doctor continued, "I don't think she has a concussion and she didn't lose enough blood to need a transfusion. I would like to stitch up her neck though and her forehead, just to be safe. I also think it'd be wise to give her an X-ray to make sure she's not bleeding internally or to check on her ribs. I understand she was kicked in the stomach a few times, so that'd probably be best."

Austin winced as if her injuries pained him and nodded.

"How long will that take? I want to see my family," Ally stated abruptly, surprised at the sound of her own voice.

"A few hours. We could transport you to the nearest hospital and notify your family. I'm sure they'll want to come and see you two. Hopefully they'll be here by the time you're done," the doctor replied easily.

"I'll drive her to the hospital if that's okay. I want to make sure she gets there safely," Austin offered, watching Ally's reaction from the corner of his eye.

The doctor shrugged and answered, "She doesn't need the ambulance so I don't see why not. Drive carefully. I assume you know where the hospital is?"

Austin nodded quickly. Taking that as a dismissal, the doctor turned on her heel and left before Ally could even mutter a thanks.

"C'mon, Ally. I'll help you to my car."

Ally nodded, excited to be in his car for happier circumstances.

Although, a ride to a hospital counting as a happier circumstance was a little disconcerting.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Are you okay?" Austin asked her for the millionth time that ride, as if she were going to die any minute.

Ally rolled her eyes and groaned, "Yes. I'm fine. It's cute that you care but you don't need to check up on me constantly."

Austin smiled playfully and quipped, "Well it's hard to tell with you. Once second you're fine and the next I'm being chained to a radiator."

Ally let out a loud laugh, feeling like the events of yesterday were years in the past.

"A lot has happened since then," Ally mused, her mind beginning to wander over the everything that had happened to her.

"Yeah," he admitted, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

They were about to lapse into a comfortable silence, but something was still bothering Ally.

And it had a lot to do with her unrequited confession the other day.

Confident that she could blame head trauma if it went south, Ally hesitantly asked, "Do you love me, Austin?"

Austin's eyes widened in surprise and Ally felt panic bloom in her chest. Instantly she began to backpedal, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push. I just said it earlier and you sounded like you did, but I really shouldn't have asked. I hit my head earlier and lost some blood so I might ju-"

"Calm down, Ally," Austin laughed, "It's fine. I'm just surprised you even had to ask to be honest."

Austin pulled over to the side of the road and out the car in park before turning to look at her, his eyes shining with sincerity.

"I mean, I've chased you through Florida, fought off half a dozen guys, and stood between you and a bullet. It feels pretty obvious for me, but I guess you could always convince yourself that I was doing my job. Which is only partially true, because honestly, I'd have come after you no matter what," Austin rambled, his words becoming more and more muddled.

Sighing softly, Austin caught Ally's eye and answered, "Yes, Ally, I love you. Of course, I love you. I never had any choice but to love you."

Ally would have never been able to say something as beautiful and eloquent as he just had to express what she was feeling for this boy.

So, instead, she leaned forward and pulled him into a scorching kiss that she hoped let her love seep through.

He returned the kiss eagerly with his hands moving to her waist to pull her closer.

She'd never had a choice either. There was always this electric, magnetic pull between them that neither could have fought if they'd wanted to.

She was always meant to love this strange boy.

**A/N: Sorry guys. This is more of a filler, because I have to get them from Point A to Point B for the rest of this story to progress. It originally wasn't going to be so fluffy, but I got quite a few requests for this, so I thought, why not? After this story, just to reiterate, I am doing another Auslly fanfiction and it'd be awesome if you guys would check it out once it's up. I got a couple of requests to read people's fanfictions and I'm totally going to do that. If anyone else wants me to do that, just ask. :3 You guys are amazing with reviews, so I almost don't even have to say this, but please review! It really helps me to know what you guys want from me and how you guys are feeling. Next chapter will be in Austin's POV and I'll try to update as soon as possible! I love you guys 3 **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: The last chapter was mostly positive I think, but I'm pretty sure I got a couple of reviews a little bored and I can't blame them. It was a filler, pure and simple. Couldn't avoid it, but I apologize for the dullness of it. The story is ending so the last few chapters may not be as exciting as you'd hope. I do have something planned, but that's gonna excite you for maybe 2 chapters. You may still like it though, I don't know. I'll do my best to please you guys. Also, hate to self-promote, but if you're interested in reading another Auslly story from me then be on the lookout. I'll post it as soon as this done and I'll post a summary in the last chapter. I hope you read it! I'm still taking story requests, so if you want me to check out your fanfiction, I will! I already read like two. I'm moving slowly, but surely! Anywho, I've bored you enough for one author's note. So, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally. **

Chapter 24

Austin P.O.V

Ally Dawson was sure to be the death of him.

And she was turning him into a worry-freak. Austin Moon very rarely worried, despite his line of work. He'd had some close calls, but, even then, he didn't break a sweat. He was confident in his abilities and he was acutely aware of the fact that worrying and second guessing in his line of work could end in a body bag.

But then came Ally.

And all of a sudden, he was worrying about everything and second-guessing everything.

It didn't help that she was impossibly brave and willing to die to protect people. Including him. If she were more selfish, maybe he wouldn't have had to worry that she'd do something stupid and get herself killed.

Typical Austin. One of the reasons he loves a girl also gives him anxiety.

After being up for two straight days and running purely on adrenaline to find her and her ex-fiancée, the last place Austin wanted to be was the hospital waiting to hear if she was bleeding internally or dying.

Well, she probably wasn't dying, but Austin was still worried.

He tried to doze off in the waiting room after being told rather sharply by several nurses that he was simply not allowed back unless he was related to Ally. If he hadn't been sleep deprived, he probably would have been smart enough to come up with a lie to get him in, but he wasn't his sharpest. He needed sleep and doubted he'd get some any time soon. Every time he shut his eyes, he pictured Dallas escaping and slipping past an unconscious Austin to kill Ally.

Needless to say, his attempts at napping were fruitless.

An insomniac. He'd have to add that to the list of things Ally Dawson was turning him into.

A worrier. An insomniac. A rambling idiot.

It almost felt like she stole all of his confidence and gave him all of her nervousness.

He would've resented her if he hadn't been so in love with her.

Not able to handle the cruel images his sleep-deprived mind conjured, Austin focused his attention on the entrance to the hospital. When the Dawsons arrived, they'd be frazzled and confused, and it was Austin's job to explain everything to them.

That was the worst part of the job. Talking to anxious, insane families who wanted nothing more than to see their relative. He only ever stood in the way of that reunion and it was a little depressing if he was being honest.

A commotion near the entrance snapped him out of his reverie as a small group of four people bustled through the lobby of the hospital. Austin could feel the panic coming off of them in waves and decided that they were probably the family of Ally.

Sighing lightly, Austin stood and approached the group, ignoring his body's protests, and asked hesitantly, "Are you Ally's family?"

He didn't need to ask really. He knew what they each looked like due to the extensive research he'd been able to do in the 4 hours Ally had been at the station being questioned.

The only thing that was out of place was the short Latina that stood with the family, but Austin quickly made the assumption that this was the infamous Trish he'd heard so much about.

The only man in the group, a short balding man who looked even more tired than Austin probably did, froze and eyed Austin suspiciously as if he was a threat before replying, "Who's asking?"

Austin pulled out his badge and showed it to the group before answering, "I'm Officer Moon. I've been looking after your daughter for the past couple of months while she was in danger."

"Well you certainly did a good job considering where we are," Trish quipped sarcastically, giving Austin a look that was purely venom.

_Ouch_.

Austin cleared his throat awkwardly and explained, "She's only here for some tests. I assure you that I tried my best to keep your Ally under lock and key, but she managed to get away when she heard that you were being held ransom."

Trish rolled her eyes and retorted, "Really? I've seen Ally. If she overpowered you then you must have been slacking off on the job."

"She didn't overpower me," Austin replied curtly, struggling to keep his cool, "She handcuffed me to a radiator. She's a smart girl."

Trish opened her mouth to assault Austin verbally again but was cut off by a petite, young girl whom Austin guessed was Ally's older sister.

"I'm sure Officer Moon did all he could to protect Ally. She safe and Dallas is gone, so let's be thankful that he caused those," she reprimanded sternly before catching Austin's eyes. Her face softened with a look that could best be described as misery as she asked, "Can I see my sister?"

"Yes, I want to see our daughter," an older woman, presumably Ally's mother, chimed in. Priorly, her eyes seemed dead and empty and Austin could only imagine the toll Ally's absence had taken on them. He'd lost her for two days and nearly lost his mind. Losing Ally for nearly two months was unthinkable to him.

"Yeah. I've been trying to see her for the last 2 hours, but I'm not family. You are so you should probably be allowed in," Austin answered, pleased that the situation had calmed down. Family members sometimes did take out their frustration on him, so it was nothing new, but everything involving Ally was more personal.

"You could all see me if you'd turn around," a small voice called from behind them.

Austin turned around to see a smiling Ally before him. She was surrounded by a couple of men in white, doctor's coats and, while she was clearly exhausted, she was smiling widely with tears glittering in her eyes.

Her family didn't hesitate to rush past him and engulf the tiny woman in hugs and tears. Austin had to restrain himself from following them, if he was being honest. Ally hugged each member of her family, and Trish, individually for a long time, her eyes catching Austin's occasionally.

"Sweetie, you look exhausted. Lester, let's get a room at a hotel and stay the night before we head home," Ally's mom entreated, keeping her hand firmly around her daughter's shoulder.

Mr. Dawson nodded and pulled out his cell phone before replying, "I'll make some calls about a room before we head out."

He separated from the group slightly and a tense silence befell the room as no one was really sure what to do next. All eyes were on Ally, but she examined each of her loved ones specifically.

And then her eyes found Austin.

Deciding on a course of action, Ally approached Austin, her family in tow, and introduced, "Mom, Becca, Trish, this is Austin. He's the officer who kept me safe and arrested Dallas."

Austin offered an awkward smile as he extended his hand and stated, "We met briefly, but it's nice to be formally introduced to you guys."

Trish glared at Austin's hand as if it offended her and Ally's mother looked at it in surprise, like it was foreign to her. Only Ally's sister, Becca, reached forward and took it, shaking it lightly.

"Thank you for keeping her safe," Becca thanked firmly, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Austin wasn't sure how to reply to that. He wasn't used to being thanked. Typically after the families were reunited with their loved ones, everyone forgot about him. Sometimes he'd get letters in the mail or Christmas cards, but nothing requiring a response of any kind from him.

Luckily for him, he didn't have to. Trish instantly let out a snort and sarcastically exclaimed, "Great job he did at that."

_Ouch. Again._

Austin was prepared to take the insult. It had been what he'd been trained to do. He'd been told that families under stress lashed out and he was supposed to just take it and try not to take it so seriously.

Ally was having none of that though.

"Don't you dare say that to Austin! He saved my life no less than three times and the only reason I'm here to greet you is because of him! He deserves your respect and, if you're happy that I'm still alive, then your gratitude. This man is a hero," she exclaimed, anger evident in her soft voice.

Austin blinked in surprise. He wasn't used to people standing up for him. Dez did when he could, but otherwise he was on his own.

Clearly Ally's outburst surprised Trish as well. She cleared her throat awkwardly and apologized, "Oh. I'm sorry."

"We're all sorry, Officer Moon," Mrs. Dawson added firmly, "We've been rather ungrateful towards you. Thank you so much for protecting Ally."

Uncomfortable with the gratitude, Austin replied awkwardly, "Oh uhm it's no problem. I don't know how I'd have been able to live with myself if something had happened to Ally."

Ally smiled widely and her eyes shone in that way they did when whatever it was he said made her happy. He honestly loved the look. Making her happy was slowly becoming addicting.

He smiled back lightly, returning the eye contact fully, hoping that she remembered his earlier confession.

The three ladies glanced back and forth between the pair, obviously picking up on the feelings they shared.

Abruptly, Ally's smile disappeared and she asked, "Can I have a minute alone with Austin?"

The request took Austin by surprise just as much as it did her family. Trish opened her mouth to protest, but she was silenced by Mrs. Dawson's response.

"Of course. Let's go check on your father, Becca. You come too, Trish."

Without another word, the women moved away from Ally in the direction that Mr. Dawson had gone, leaving them alone.

Ally's hand came up to his face and her fingers lightly touched the scratch on his cheek. The injury was almost nothing compared to the other painful bruises Dallas had managed to land on Austin, but Ally, thankfully, didn't know about them. He didn't her to worry about him.

"What are you going to do?" She asked quietly, the concern evident in her voice.

Austin smiled easily and answered, "Oh, you know me. A little bit of that. A little bit of this. I'll probably just head home or something."

"You're in no condition to drive," Ally argued, noting the dark circles under his eyes.

"I'll get someone to drive me home then."

"You could stay with us," Ally offered.

Austin shook his head and replied, "I don't think that'd be best. You should spend your time with your family."

Her eyes fell and her frown deepened, so Austin quickly added, "But I'll call you when you've had a few days to rest."

Ally's expression brightened, leaving Austin in awe of her beauty.

"Let's go, Ally," Mr. Dawson's voice commanded from the entrance.

Ally bit her lip before leaning forward and pecking Austin's cheek, leaving behind that familiar electricity that he'd come to associate with her touch.

"You better," she warned, giving him a soft smile before rejoining her family.

Mr. Dawson's face darkened for a minute before he said, "Let me pay the boy my thanks before we go. You head to the car, I'll be out in a minute."

He hurried over to Austin's side and glanced over his shoulder to make sure the women were gone before finally looking Austin in the eye. Austin was great deal taller than Mr. Dawson, so he had to look down on him, but he still felt some fear at the look in Mr. Dawson's eyes.

"Thanks won't be necessary, Mr. Dawson," Austin tried, hoping to make this man leave him as soon as possible.

"Well, thank you, anyway, Officer Moon," he paused before continuing, "I have no doubt that you're an excellent man, Austin, but Ally has gone through quite a lot. I think the best thing for her right now would be to forget about all of this, and she can't do that with _you _hanging around. For Ally's sake, I want you to stay away from her."

**A/N: That's cold of Mr. Dawson. But remember, he did set her up with Dallas to begin with, so he has a very clear idea of who he wants Ally to be with. And it's not Austin. This is not the infamous surprise up my sleeve I've been talking about. That's still coming. Only like 4 more chapters left of this-ish and the next will still be in Austin's POV. Anywho, please review. I don't so much need suggestions in this story because it's basically done, but criticisms I need. Sorry if it's a little dull. The main story is essentially over and aside from one plot twist coming up, the rest of this story is wrap-up. Again: no sequel or epilogue. Sorry, but this story feels done-ish to me. I am working on another though and I'll have that summary up on the last chapter. I hope everyone reads it. Review please! I love you!**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Super-fast update mode! Don't hate me for the last chapter! It needed to be done for the next few chapters. And again, I'm sorry that this is boring. I hope that these last few chapters being boring or only so-so doesn't make you dislike this story, because it's only like that (hopefully) because the story is ending and the exciting things are mostly over. This story will be over soon so bear with me! I will be starting my next Auslly story immediately after this one. It's not up, but it will be and I hope everyone checks it out! That'd mean the world to me. I'm also still taking requests to read your stories. Anywho, here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I chimed in with a 'haven't you people ever heard of… not owning Austin and Ally!' It's much better to face these kinds of things…. With a disclaimer before Auslly (For all my fellow P!ATD fans)**

Chapter 26

Austin's mind shut down.

He wasn't entirely familiar with this situation. When he'd gone to high school, he'd dated pretty frequently, but since he was kind of a dork and a perfect gentleman, parents usually liked him. Admittedly he hadn't dated too much since high school, but he was still a gentleman. And frankly, Austin _had_ just saved his daughter's life. A _little_ more gratitude is more common in those situations.

So, since he was inexperienced with this, his first instinct was to fight. And he opened his mouth to do just that.

Mr. Dawson held up a hand to signify that he wasn't done speaking to silence Austin and continued, "I know that this makes me sound callous, but I'm only trying to protect Ally. You'd be a constant reminder of the trauma she's experienced in the past few days."

"Well, wouldn't I be a good reminder, at least? A reminder that her nightmare was over?" Austin asked, more confused than angry.

"It's not just the reminder, Officer Moon," Mr. Dawson replied sharply, causing Austin's brow to furrow.

"Then what else is there? I'm not good enough for Ally, is that it? Because the way I see it, no one will ever be good enough for her, but I can try to be," Austin argued.

"What will you be able to offer our daughter, _Officer_ Moon?"

The question made Austin freeze. Mr. Dawson emphasized the word 'Officer' like that gave it away, and slowly Austin was beginning to understand what this man was getting at.

Seeing no argument coming from Austin, Mr. Dawson continued, "You're an officer. You're constantly being shot at or you're away, locked in a shack with some other woman. If you want to lead a life of fear then so be it, but don't drag Ally down with you. She shouldn't have to worry about you coming home safely. She shouldn't have to worry about whether you'll be home for dinner or off protecting someone else. She deserves the best."

Mr. Dawson sighed as he took in Austin's conflicted expression.

Slowly, deliberately, Mr. Dawson concluded, "I respect what you do, Mr. Moon. I respect the life you lead, but I think even you know that the path you've chosen is a solitary one."

Each word was like a blow to his heart. Slowly, the perfect world that Austin had created in his head began to crumble. He'd never be good enough for Ally. He might not even be able to give her what she needed. Even if he did decide to leave the Witness Protection Program, he'd still want to remain a police officer because he loved it. He'd never abandon the danger if it meant also abandoning helping people.

And he might be a painful reminder for her. If he pursued her, he'd make it impossible for her to move on. He'd force her to worry about his safety. Could he do that to her?

No. She deserved better and her father knew that. He could know her better than her own father? Austin had been foolish to believe that everything would be ok and he'd get the girl.

Austin didn't deserve the girl.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Austin returned home and tried to let thoughts of the amazing Ally Dawson disappear.

Emphasis on tried.

A day after being back, Austin tried to return to work, only to be informed that he could return no less than three days later. Apparently, Austin needed to take it easy.

"Easier said than done," Austin murmured to himself while attempting to write a song.

Emphasis on attempting.

He had no luck with the songwriting and he'd run out of words that rhymed with Ally.

"I'm pathetic," Austin groaned, mentally reminding himself that he could return to work in a day.

His phone rang, shattering the awful silence that accompanied _not_ writing a song, and he jumped at it, grateful for any form of human interaction.

"Hello! Dez! Tell me that you have a job that only I can help you with," Austin commanded, his voice coated with enthusiasm.

Dez's voice replied on the other end, "Nope. You really need to relax man. Just rest up. You can come back tomorrow."

Austin groaned again, his boredom growing exponentially, and asked, "Then why are you calling me? To taunt me with all of the productive, distracting work you're getting done?"

"Ally called," Dez replied, needing no prelude or explanation. That was one of Dez's finer qualities. His abruptness. It unsettled most people, but Austin found it refreshing that the boy simply spoke his mind whenever he wanted to.

He did not find it so refreshing in this instance.

"What did she want?" Austin inquired eagerly. He hadn't called her like he'd promised, but he had no intention of messing up her life more than he already had.

"She asked if you were here and I said no. So she asked where you were and I said at home. And then she asked where that was so I gave her your address. She said that you needed to talk."

Perfectly on cue, Austin heard a soft, tentative knock on the door.

"Shit. I've gotta go, Dez. Remind me to yell at you later," Austin whispered into the phone before hanging up on his friend.

He considered not opening the door. He could always pretend that he'd been sleeping or something when she'd knocked. He quickly dismissed the idea. He was a light sleeper and she knew that all too well.

Begrudgingly, he opened the door halfway, his body blocking the entrance, to find Ally Dawson looking up at him looking as beautiful as ever in a light blue sundress.

Oh, yeah. And she was pissed.

She jabbed a finger in his chest and exclaimed, "Austin Monica Moon, how dare you promise to call and then leave me hanging!"

Austin's eye widened at her tone and he quickly admonished, "Geez Ally, I have neighbors. Keep it down."

Wrong move.

"I will most certainly not keep it down. I'm mad at you and I hope the entire building knows it," she yelled, getting louder.

Before he could think about it, he clamped a hand on her mouth and pulled her into his apartment, shutting the door behind them quickly. The last thing he needed was for the police to show up because they were screaming at each other.

He removed his hand from her mouth. One look at her face told him that he'd made another wrong move.

She glared at him angrily and asked, "What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Moon?"

"I-" he began nervously.

"Were you ever going to call me?" she interrupted, her voice somehow even angrier.

"Well, I-"

"Did you mean any of what you said to me before the hospital?" she interrupted again.

"Would you like me to answer the questions or are you just going to scream at me some more?" Austin asked sarcastically, feeling his own temper rise.

Ally pursed her lips in a dissatisfied manner, but she gestured for him to speak.

"Alright, well for starters, of course I meant what I said before the hospital. Love is not a word I use lightly, Ms. Dawson. And secondly, I was going to call you, but your dad told me it'd be best if I stayed out of your life, so that's what I've been trying to do."

Ally's expression softened just slightly. Her glare, while still fierce, became less harsh and her stance less volatile.

"My dad only said that because he wants me to marry a billionaire or an heir or a prince or something. That's why he set me up with Dallas and that's why he doesn't want me seeing you. It has nothing to do with you," she argued, her voice slightly quieter and less furious.

"That's kind of what I thought to, but then he started to explain it and, I don't know, it made a lot of sense. I'm no good for you, Ally," Austin answered, his voice forlorn and nearly desperate.

Her expression softened for just a moment, her pretty, pink mouth forming an o. Austin thought her anger had dissipated.

Wrong again.

The next words out of her mouth shocked him. She was still good at that.

"Screw you."

Austin's jaw dropped in surprise. That was not what he was expecting from her.

"W-what?" he stammered in surprise.

"Screw you and screw my father. What gives you the right to decide what's best for me?" she exclaimed, her tone angry again.

"I… I… uhh…"

"I'll decide who I deserve and who's best for me, thank you very much. And for whatever reason, I've decided that I deserve you and you're best for me. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I love you and you love me, and that's all that matters. You don't get to decide that you're not good enough for me until I say so. Got it?"

Austin nodded numbly, still reeling over this woman. Ally Dawson would never cease to amaze him.

"Good," she stated, losing some of her steam from the earlier rant, "So, uhm… you give me a call when you get over yourself and your stupid insecurities and fears because I want _you_. And we deserve each other and we're good for each other."

She stared at him for a moment longer before storming out of his apartment, leaving a still stunned Austin Moon in her wake.

"That girl sure is something," Austin muttered to himself.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So let me get this straight," Dez began, eyeing Austin curiously, "You didn't call her because her father said you wouldn't be good for her?"

Austin had come to work the next day, still thinking about his conversation with Ally, and decided to share the entire story of what had happened while he was away.

Austin nodded at his friend.

"The same father who pressured her to marry Dallas, the psychotic murder?"

Again, Austin nodded.

"I don't know who's dumber. Him or you."

"I'm just looking out for her," Austin defended, although he was so sure of that anymore.

"Dude," Dez replied, rolling his eyes, "Her dad clearly has no idea what's good for Ally, considering he thought a murderer was good for her."

"Well, you've got a point there, but I'd be a shitty boyfriend, man. I'm always busy," Austin stated halfheartedly.

"Because of your work at the Witness Protection Program?" Austin nodded, so Dez continued, "Man, that job makes you miserable. Work here with me and just become a cop. You'd have more time to be with Ally and you'd be a lot happier."

"But-"

"Austin, you're in love," Dez did a hand signal at the word love that Austin didn't bother questioning, "and love doesn't come around every day. Besides, the program you're doing is getting picked up by police stations, so they don't exactly need _you_ anymore and you'd still be saving lives."

Austin didn't bother thinking of an argument for that one, because truthfully, he'd been thinking of doing the same thing for months.

"Let yourself be happy, Austin. You don't have to be alone anymore."

Dez was right. The only thing standing between Austin and a happy ending was Austin. He really didn't want to be doing what he was doing anymore, because clearly it wasn't working.

With a new resolve, Austin stood from his perch on Dez's desk and exclaimed, "You're a genius, Dez. Thanks."

Before Dez could reply, the blonde ran out of the room, determined to stop standing in his own way.

**A/N: The little plot twisty thingie I have going on is in the next chapter. And then after that there's only 2ish chapters left? Yeah, that sounds right. Thanks for reading this story! Please review! And send me stories you want me to read if you want. Thank you guys! I love you all!**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Some awesome reviews as usual. I love you guys! Done with the Austin POV chapters and now on for the mini-twist I promised you. Well, here it is! I hope you guys like this!**

**Disclaimer: I really don't own Austin and Ally. I wish I did, but I wish for a lot of things. Like a million dollars, for example. **

Chapter 27

Austin Moon was dead.

That fact was heartbreakingly clear to Ally as she huddled over his battered body, paying no mind to the blood staining her white, wedding dress.

Despite this knowledge, she cradled his head in her lap and begged, "Please, Austin, wake up. Wake up. I need you. Please wake up."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she distantly heard guests to her wedding leave, some in a panic. Soon, only her father and sister remained in the audience, watching the gruesome scene before them, but neither lifting a finger to help her.

Her fingers tenderly stroked his bruised and bleeding face, but he didn't stir. He looked almost peaceful. If Ally wanted to, she could probably pretend that he was sleeping.

But he was not sleeping. He was dead. Dallas had killed him.

Her head shot up wildly to face her fiancée, standing at the altar and eyeing the pair with distaste. Angrily, she screamed, "Murderer!"

Dallas rolled his eyes before shooting her a cold, dead look. Slowly, he replied, "It's the boy's own fault. He tried to ruin our wedding, darling. It had to be done."

"You're a monster," Ally hissed, struggling to control the hurricane that was her emotions. She felt anger and horror and anguish and emptiness all at once. It was ironic that the only thing she didn't feel on, what was supposed to be, the happiest day of her life was anything slightly similar to happiness.

"Am I? That's funny because it feels like you're the monster," he retorted, his voice oozing boredom, "You may not have pulled the trigger, but you might as well have. It's your fault he's dead. It's your fault they're all dead."

Ally was suddenly aware of the fact that she was surrounded by dead bodies. A lot of dead bodies. The only ones that she could recognize were the bodies of Austin and the bartender, who looked exactly like he had the night Ally had found him.

Suddenly, the bartender sat up from his position nearly a foot away from her and asked, "Why would you kill me?"

Ally's eyes widened in terror as she stammered, "I-I didn't. It w-was him!"

The bartender shook his head, his lifeless eyes showing nothing but disappointment.

Ally averted her eyes, unable to handle the look on his face, and scanned Austin's once more.

Without warning, Austin's eyes snapped open and he too asked, "Why would you kill me?"

But Austin didn't wait for her to reply. Instead, he reached up and clasped his hands around her neck, strangling her.

"You're a monster," Dallas whispered, before letting out a bone chilling laugh.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ally jolted awake in her bed, shaking as the adrenaline continued to course through her body.

After taking a few shaky breaths, Ally murmured, "It's just a dream."

She felt her body slowly relax as her pulse slowed and heart rate calmed. Shaking her head lightly, Ally raked a hand through her hair in frustration. The clock on the wall in Ally's room at her parents' house read 2:45 am, meaning that Ally had only managed to get close to three hours of sleep.

"I guess I'm going back to being an insomniac," Ally muttered, trying to quell the panic that threatened to bury her.

She hadn't had a nightmare in such a long time, so where the hell had that one come from?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day, Ally decided to return to her own apartment.

She wasn't sure if she could handle everyone hanging around her all of the time. She needed at least the semblance of independence. So, after promising to call her sister frequently and to come back for dinner, Ally left the safety of her parents' house and ventured to her apartment.

She wasn't sure if she could handle the memories that her apartment held. She knew that she'd walk in and feel like she was reading someone else's story. Her time away with Austin had changed her and she wasn't sure if she'd fit into her old life anymore.

"I'm very philosophical today," she muttered under her breath as she neared her apartment door. Turning the lock slowly, she took a deep, steadying breath before pushing the door open.

She expected the room to be just as she left it and was not surprised when her assumptions were proved to be correct.

She did not expect her bedroom light to be on though.

Nor did she expect to find someone in her apartment waiting for her.

It was a rather large man with a shaved head and dark eyes. His shoulders were broad and he was nearly Austin's height. He looked considerably more muscular in comparison to Austin's lean physique and nearly everything about him was intimidating.

Oh and he had a gun aimed at her forehead.

"Make a move and I shoot," the man whispered gruffly.

Ally's hands shot up in a gesture of surrender. Her keys clattered to the floor, the sound echoing in the silent room.

"Shut the door and lock it," he ordered, his eyes trained on her face.

Ally did as she was told, in no position for defiance.

"Who are you?" she asked, fear pumping through her body.

"Your fiancée hired me. I'm under orders to finish what he couldn't," the man replied, his face twisting into a cocky smirk.

"And what's that?"

He let out a short laugh that reeked of cruelty.

"I'd thought it was obvious. I'm going to kill you, Ms. Dawson."

**A/N: This really shouldn't surprise you guys. A guy like Dallas totally has a backup plan. Hope you guys like the twist. I'll update soon! Please review! I need criticism or hate or ideas or suggestions about how to improve my writing! Don't worry about offending me, because I need to hear this stuff to improve. I love you guys. 3**


End file.
